


Effet Domino

by sharpsharp44



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - World War II, Animal Death, British Character, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Gun Violence, Hunters & Hunting, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Siblings, Self-Discovery, Self-Doubt, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, Suicide, Whump, poorly researched
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27551740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharpsharp44/pseuds/sharpsharp44
Summary: Amongst the thousands of stories bred from the second world war, you will find soldiers reminiscing on their days in combat. How they could have sworn angels were looking out for them on the battlefield. Young women that could summon bombs from the sky, or rifles from their hands. Young women that were only heard of for a few months, yet seemed to bring hope and good luck wherever they went. Tales of great battles and never ending mazes. Strange creatures and otherworldly strength. What they didn’t know, however, was that these girls weren’t fairytales of men longing to return home, but an entire chapter of the war that remains untold.This chapter is what Evelyn and her sister Caroline are thrown into. After a series of damaging events, it feels like the only answer left is to run away. But where does one run when the war is all around?
Comments: 5
Kudos: 6





	1. And The Dominos Fell

Finally the anchor dropped into the cold sea below. The rattling of the chain scraping against the ship’s hull caused the entire deck to vibrate, it was then that the realization of what she just done kicked in. It creeped into the cracks of her consciousness, overwhelming it, what had she done? Just crossed the channel on a pipe dream? And for what, to be a hero? There was no time for thought, she had to sneak off the ship, and quickly before she was caught. Who knew what could happen to her then. Quietly she crept out of her spot among the shipping containers, jeeps, and ammunition, and was quickly overtaken with the sight before her.

Clouds layered on top of the sky, hiding the sun and coating the sand on the beach in a dark, wet grey. The water, which was just as dreary, rolled in among the old anti-tank barricades and worked to sweep away any trace of any boot prints or man made divots in the sand. Dotted across the sky were massive off-white balloons, slumped and wrinkled, drifting back and forth tied down along the dark orange, almost stone cut cliffs. Lines of amphibious supply ships ran up and down the beach, tanks clumsily made their way up the supply route, and piles of wooden crates were placed at what seemed to be random intervals. Wounded tents dotted the beach, and jeeps sped up and down the ridge carrying supplies and stretchers. So this was it, France.

With the view now fully realized, she grabbed an old rifle, her father's hunting rifle, from a crack in between two crates. It wasn’t much considering the circumstance, it could only fire one shot before needing to be reloaded, but it’s what had been available to her. Evelyn slid the sling over her shoulder before starting to make her way off the ship, and onto enemy ground. There was no turning around, she had heard crew talking about how after they offloaded here they were headed back to the U.S to reload and take supplies to North Africa.

She passed a small crate and reached around to the crack in between, luckily the bread she had stowed was still there. She took it and shoved it deep inside her coat, heavy and grey in color. She had seen others like it being worn by men getting off the ships back home, and figured it would be needed. she was correct of course, the cool wind coming over the beach was piercing to the core. As she made her way inside the ship and into the bay the sinking feeling started to creep in once more. She walked toward the massive door that lead out onto the beach, and she soon realized something, she had been stupid. Oh, so stupid.

Evelyn’s boot hit the puddle scattered sand with give as another wave washed up from behind the landing ship’s massive loading ramp. Water crept through her boot and dampened her sock, but she paid no mind. If a wet foot bothered her here, she should turn around and try to head home now. Her eyes shot back and forth, her hands shook so she grabbed the sling of her rifle even harder, making her knuckles go white. It had all seemed so simple back home, she had gone hunting with her dad all through her youth, and thought herself ready for combat. Evelyn had never been one to stand by, especially with how long she had been forced to fill the mother role for Caroline. She came to realize that no one seemed to be batting an eye at her, she guessed that either the large coat was doing a good job at concealing her identity, or the men on the beach just didn’t care. Either way it didn’t matter, she could already see a familiar face up ahead, even though she just kept walking straight forward until they were at the base of the cliff, Evelyn knew it was her.

“Caroline, it’s me.” The figure pulled their hood back just enough to reveal Evelyn’s sister, Caroline, eyes were wet with realization. The same realization that had hit Evelyn getting off the ship. Caroline stood at a crisp five foot four, and was only fifteen compared to Evelyn’s late sixteen.

“What did we do, Evelyn!” She quipped in a hushed tone. Evelyn’s heart rate picked up hearing Caroline’s voice in such a strained manner, she instinctively wrapped her up into a hug, pressing her nose into her dark brown hair, her chin resting in the crook of her neck. It only lasted for a second, however, before Evelyn pulled back.

“We can talk about that later, but right now we should get off the beach, we’re sure to be spotted here.” Evelyn squeezed harder, shutting her eyes before letting go. Caroline shook out an okay, not before Evelyn tore her off a small piece of bread. The two went up the supply lines going completely undetected, and soon they were overlooking the massive beach, taking in their last look at the little island across the channel for who knew how long. “Are you ready?” Evelyn looked at Caroline, who by now had gotten over the rush of arrival, and looked determined for whatever may lay ahead. They turned to look over their shoulders, across the fields of waving green grass, pockmarked with craters. The distant thunder claps of man made battle clashed with the rolling waves of the sea, wind whipped across the tops of the cliffs, and the two’s gaze met once more.

“I think we can do this, I mean, we’re already here.” With that Evelyn gripped the sling of the rifle, taking the slack out, and nodded.

The two chose a dirt road headed for what looked to be a small town, and started walking. The plan was already set, if they saw people, they would try to protect them, and if they saw Germans, they would run. Fighting was considered a last ditch option, Evelyn only had about twelve shots for her rifle, and even then operation was slow and clumsy. By now the two had left behind the bustle of the beach, and the sound of the waves no longer fought with the sounds of distant explosions. As they headed into the treeline, smoke started to come into view, then a chimney. It was a small farm sitting in a valley with two buildings, what looked like a farmhouse, and a barn.

“Smoke? That means somebody has to be home, right?” Caroline asked quietly.

“Looks like it, could be-” Evelyn was interrupted by the sound of movement in the trees next to the road, her head jerked to the side, directly following was a loud crack that echoed across the valley. “Get down!” Evelyn’s arm reached out and grabbed Caroline’s sleeve, yanking her to the ground with her. They slammed onto the grass, no immediate cover in sight. Adrenaline filled her veins, there was no doubt that was a gunshot, but where it was from was unknown.

She rolled onto her right shoulder to get her rifle, fumbling to make her fingers work under pressure. Her breathing lifted her up off the ground, and anytime her hands touched the grass she would pull back a fistful of dirt. Dust and the smell of earth climbed into her lungs more and more with every breath, In the trees she could have sworn she saw what looked to be a cat in the underbrush, but she didn’t have time to think about it. Another shot rang out over the farmhouse, this time a small pile of dirt kicked up by the round gave away the general direction of the shooter.

Evelyn fumbled around in her pocket for a cartridge, finally pulling out the massive brass cylinder capped off with a semicircle of lead. By now her hands were shaking, and the cartridge slipped in between her fingers with ease, falling onto the short grass. She broke the chamber open, picked the bullet up and slammed it into battery before closing the breach. During this time two more shots had gone off and seemed to be a mix up of dangerously close calls and pot shots from the next treeline over.

“Look! There’s cover over there!” Evelyn cranked her head over to Caroline, who was pointing to a fallen tree not thirty feet away. But even then that seemed so far. 

“Go!” Evelyn called as Caroline got to her feet and ran for the tree, hot on her heels. Another round zipped by and this time was caught by a tree, the crack thundered in the distance once more. The two fell behind the log, catching their breath. Panting, the sky went quiet, the shots had stopped. Evelyn held the rifle like a child, pressing it to her as she regained control.

“Where is he! I thought this place was supposed to be all clear!?” Caroline spat in between each breath. 

“I’m...gonna take a look, see if he’s still there.” Evelyn rolled on her stomach and peeked over the fallen log, the valley was completely still. Not a thing dared to move. She rolled back over, revealing to her sister that it looked like the coast was clear.

“Do you...want to try it?” She looked unsure at her own words. “Whatever happened to running away if we got in a fight, I thought we weren’t going to engage?” 

“And run where!? There's nowhere to go, if we run for the woods we’ll probably end up just getting lost.” They knew it couldn’t have been long since the last shot rang out, then there was more rustling in the bushes, the sound of a stalker finally revealing itself. It seemed to trail off in every which direction, almost completely untraceable yet it sounded so calculated, premeditated. Evelyn held the rifle at her waist, doing her best to adjust her body in a way that would cover Caroline. The cat she had been so sure she’d seen in the mists of battle came strolling out of the underbrush, though, now that it had presented itself front and center, its appearance looked a little off. It was definitely a cat, yet it boasted a pristine white coat in a land where everything was filthy, long pink-ish white ears that protruded from a set of normal ones that drooped down to the French grass with gold halos around the ends, yet they seemed to just, float there. But most of all, piercing crimson eyes so deep it could be sworn they’d suck someone into them at any moment.

“What is it doing here, is it not afraid of the gunfire?” Caroline whispered, a slight tinge of fear on the back of her tongue, such a strange creature to behold, unlike anything the two had seen before. The cat sat on its hind legs, its fluffy white tail swishing casually back and forth, completely unphased by the stress of the situation, about ten feet from the girls at the edge of the treeline, watching.

“I don’t think we should worry ‘bout that right now, we gotta take care of the shooter-” 

“The German.”

“We don’t know that.”

Oh then who may it bloody well be! Last time I checked our guys aren’t shooting at girls.”

“Whatever. It doesn’t matter ‘cause either way they’re still shooting. If I take a shot the smoke from the rifle will give us away, but I don’t know if he knows where we are.” Evelyn rolled on her stomach and propped the rifle up on the log, scanning the treeline for movement, the search was soon joined by Caroline, who had developed great skill of spotting things after watching the sky for planes in the Blitz.

“Wouldn’t take a genius to figure out.” She said blankly, taking a pair of binoculars out from her pack. “Do you think there could be more than one?”

“We’ll you’d think there would be more shooting, and the allies must of cleared the area, I mean we saw on the newsreel a few days ago that they were past Saint-Lô, it must be clear.”

“Well they couldn’t get everyone I s’pose. Wait! There.” Caroline extended a finger and handed Evelyn the binoculars, next to a tree across the valley, just barely visible, was a boot. Jet black in color, running halfway up the calf. Evelyn pressed her cheek onto the stock of the rifle, closing her left eye and squinting with the other. Her heart quickened no matter how many times she tried to calm it down. The wooden stock was cool to the touch, and just beyond her cheek was the path to slide rounds into the chamber. Her finger itched over the trigger as the pole on the end of the barrel lined up with the metal valley of the rear sight, all leading to the tiny boot, somehow spotted amongst the foliage.

Evelyn closed her other eye, taking a second to relax, regaining herself. _It’s just an animal. It’s just another animal_. For a split second the constant sounds of battle that hadn’t ceased sense arrival faded away, and the sounds of the birds chirping in the forest back home flooded in. She opened her eye, the boot hadn't moved, and the roughly hundred meter shot seemed clear. Her finger inched backward until she felt the tiny increase in resistance, it was then the hammer in the rifle fell forward, striking the blackpowder cartridge, sending the semicircle of lead at the target.

Evelyn's heart skipped a beat as a percussive blast shattered the girl’s eardrums, a burst of flame shot from the muzzle, the quick flash seemed to consume Evelyn’s vision only for a moment, almost blinding her. The combination of the detonation of the black powder and the sonic boom of the round produced a sound that could be heard miles around, white smoke spewed from the end of the barrel reaching out at least four feet, and the rifle punched Evelyn in the shoulder with no remorse. The shot must have raised the gun at least two inches before it slammed back down on the log, a fine white mist settled in front of the girls. Both of them perked up, squinting through the cloud of black powder, scanning for the boot, to see if Evelyn had indeed hit her target.

“Wow.” Caroline whispered, confused awe encapsulating her voice. It was all that could be said; a hundred meters away a German soldier was gripping his leg in pain. It was like watching a silent film, as the artillery in the distance drowned out any screams that would cover the distance. The boy tried to stand up, but the shot had shattered a section of his calf, and his leg crumpled beneath him. He slammed back down to the ground. Caroline winced, Evelyn couldn’t bring herself to look at what she had done. “Bloody hell, Evelyn...good shot.”

It was now that Evelyn realized her eyes were full of tears from the shock, the fear of shooting another human being. Death was not new to the girls, while they lived in a cottage far outside of London, they had been forced to almost constantly help dig out the rubble of the island's capital. Caroline had managed to be spared most of the violence, Evelyn, on the other hand, had spent weeks getting wounded to hospital by carrying stretchers and clearing bomb shelter entrances. Though it had been four years since the height of the battle, the empty eyes were clear as day in the girls’ heads. Sights of atrocity had become commonplace to them, but to be the one inflicting the damage was a completely different and conflicting matter. Evelyn held her breath, the boy looked as if he had lost all ability to fight, not even the adrenaline of battle was enough to stop the pain anymore, his fight or flight systems had failed completely.

“I’m gonna finish him, can’t just let him suffer.”

“What about all the suffering people like him caused us.” It wasn’t a question, in fact the statement had been delivered in perfect monotone, cold monotone. It wasn’t up for debate, however. Evelyn was the one with the rifle, she was the oldest, it was her shot. Her kill. But, did that mean Caroline was enjoying such pain? She pushed the lever underneath the stock down, opening the breach and pushing out the tail of the casing, with this action the remaining smoke poured out of the chamber and when Evelyn’s fingers pulled the hot metal out of the rifle and onto the grass the smell of the black powder kissed their noses. She found herself digging around in her pocket again before pulling out another round and inserting it into the rifle. She had managed to tame her adrenaline filled limbs by now, and had full control once more.

She pressed the lever back against the wood of the stock, closed the breach, and took aim. 

_This is the right thing to do, right? Not only will a German be dead, but she was putting him out of his misery. Why is it that, among everything she’d seen, she still had sympathy for the figure a hundred meters away?_ Everything lined up once more and she took a deep breath, holding it. Her eyes fell closed, and as she tried to slow her accelerating heart rate the thoughts only sped up more. Once open again she pulled the trigger, trying not to think about it. _CRACK!_ The sound of the rifle and the fireball reappeared once more, and just as quickly as they’d come, they’d gone.

All that was left was the smoke from the powder, and a worse off German. From what they could see the bullet had punched into his right side, and exited below the left shoulder. His body reacted like it had been punched by God himself, thrown back against the fresh fallen leaves and dirt. Evelyn watched through the mist as he rolled over and grabbed a rod, his rifle, and proceeded to start loading it. She could see everything, but so many emotions had flooded her head to the point of gridlock. 

_Murder is wrong, but what about murdering a murderer? Is that just as bad? Or worse? These people had laid waste to her home, her people for years, and she was jerking back tears after wounding just one man? How could it be so easy for them?_ She took a slow, trembling breath, not blinking once, for she would miss the fate of her kill as he shoved round after round into his weapon.

“Oh shit. Evelyn reload c’mon!” Caroline grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, finally ripping her eyes off the kid and taking her out of the trance.

“Reload the bloody rifle!”

“...Right,” She pulled the lever underneath the stock to eject the casing and dug in her pockets for a new one, just as the sound of the German’s rifle cracked across the valley. Evelyn fell behind the log so quickly her chin slammed into the dirt, a jolt of pain ran up her head as she was joined by Caroline, who watched her sister roll onto her side and continue to load the rifle. Evelyn closed both eyes before saying something to herself, preparing to fire back. Her eyes opened and stared into Caroline’s, with one last exhale she popped up, setting the rifle on the log and taking aim. The sight they were met with was not as expected, they peered over the log to find the boy slumped over, his mouth hung open by the weight of his own rifle’s barrel. “Oh...”.

“Oh.” For the first time in what had seemed like forever, the two both rolled onto their backs, marking the end of the firefight, and came to realize the cat had gone. There was nothing left to do now but to take it in for a second, Evelyn closed the breach of the rifle and pushed it aside, rolling onto Caroline for a hug. Not because Caroline needed one, but rather because Evelyn required it. Caroline felt her shoulder going damp with tears, and tightened the hold on her sister as she began to choke on her own breath. Eventually she composed herself and stood, which felt far more dangerous now than it had only minutes ago.

“C’mon, let’s go look at that house.” She stated quietly, wiping away tears as she slung the rifle back over her shoulder. Evelyn stood taller over Caroline, making it five foot seven in all, she had taken to marksmanship training with her father and grandfather, who had both fought for the empire in their days. The two made it to the door of the house, and it was at this point Evelyn slid the leather strap off her shoulder and made sure it was still loaded. “Ready?” Caroline drew a shortened bayonet that had belonged to her father in the Great War, and nodded.

Evelyn didn’t bother trying the handle, if it was locked it would give away the element of surprise. She thrust the butt of the rifle into the door, splintering the dry frame and slamming the door against the wall inside. She brought the rifle up to her shoulder and ran in, doing her best to clear the room. She was followed by Caroline, who stuck to her like glue. The first story of the house was empty, that much became clear. The two made eye contact for a moment and shared a small grin before the sound of glass scraping across a counter in the kitchen caught their attention. At once they rushed in, and were surprised to find the cat from before, walking in circles on the cluttered pre-war counter, before sitting down once again on its hind legs.

“Hmph, so that’s where it went.” Evelyn remarked, gesturing at the cat with her rifle while exhaling a slight amount of adrenaline from her lungs. Caroline spoke in an annoyed, hushed tone for the cat to be quiet, before turning to Evelyn. 

“Upstairs?”

“We’ve gotta check.” Evelyn shouldered her rifle once more before taking the first step up the narrow staircase. The house seemed so small on the outside, yet expansive and dry within. The stairs creaked and the house moaned, wind seemed to appear out of nowhere to whip around the property, and the lack of lighting besides that of the now smoldering fireplace left the house reliant on the bleak outside light. This led to awkward and almost impossible seeming shadows that filled the furniture and walls. It didn’t even occur to the girls that the cat had jumped off the counter and joined their steady march upward until Caroline felt it’s soft fluffy tail brush her leg.

The house wasn’t like many of the others the two had seen so far, it had been built out of wood long ago, now dried and almost black it was being consumed with rot and termites, contrasting the stone architecture they had seen in news reels. Cracks in the planks cast horizontal lines of white on the otherwise black wall, and as Evelyn reached the landing, Caroline watched as she turned widely back and forth. Her eyes struck with confusion.

“It...it keeps going.”

“Wait, what does?”

“The...the house.” Her rifle fell to the floor and clattered on the planks, soon followed by Evelyn herself as she fell to her knees. Caroline rushed up the stairs and onto the landing beside her sister, and dropped her knife in shock. Beyond them, in every direction lay the same dark bedroom lit only by the outside, over and over and over again in every direction, for as far as sight would allow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I started working on this project a few months back as a cobbled together fic built around a simple idea, what did the PMMM universe look like in World War 2? It was going to be a fast, short, one and done with very little editing and a ton of plot holes. But that's just not the kind of person I am, because when I passed the first chapter off to BirdAntlers to read it and she said it was wasn't the best thing she'd ever seen it was a major reality check for me. I found out that I wanted a good and polished product, even if it meant putting the work in. So I started building the world, my characters, I planned the entire plot (Which is something I had never done prior), I was going to make it work with BirdAntlers as my advisor. And here I am now, waist deep through writing chapter 6 and loving the struggles of putting digital pen to paper.
> 
> The first chapter may have felt a little odd, it may have felt a tad rushed or out of line and that's because it was written with the original plan, and edited with a completed idea. But as this story goes, as the characters grow and the plot moves, it's only going to get better.


	2. Fell For Eternity

“This...makes no sense.” 

“It’s...it’s not possible, right? How could it look so normal on the outside?” Evelyn rubbed her eyes, even the sound of the distant gunfire had simply ceased to exist, all that was left was the cold sound of the wind slamming into the house and slipping through the cracks. But, had there even been wind outside the house? Every sense they went in it seemed to have kicked up. She got to her feet and walked around the landing, ducking in and peering through the rooms. It was impossible, every room had the same bed, same sheets and oil lamp, repeating over and over again, the door to the closet just leading into another identical room. The cat scampered up the last step and walked across the landing, plopping itself down to the right of the girls.

“May I provide some explanation to you two… you seem as if you are in need.” The two looked at each other, as if to ask if they’d heard it too, and eventually their gaze shifted to the cat, who of which strolled over to where it was in front of the girls, confirming that it was indeed the speaker. “You have just entered a labyrinth, one of thousands to come both future and past, not everyone is capable of seeing these never ending, infinite mazes. No, I am in control of that. I am Kyubey.” Evelyn and Caroline’s gaze met, their eyes struck with confusion and fear, before turning back to the thing calling itself Kyubey.

“How...is this possible? How long have things like this existed?” Caroline beconed, staring at the floorboards, they were the only thing she knew she could trust.

“By all accounts anomalies like this shouldn’t be possible, there is no way to explain them, yet they have occurred for as long as mankind has existed.” Kyubey replied, his face displayed no emotion, and his voice followed suit. “But I must admit, the labyrinths themselves are not the issue. In fact they are the least of our issues, discounting how easily people have wandered into them and gotten lost.” Evelyn’s mind scrambled, what could be worse, how could there be more to this tear in modern science? Caroline once again interrupted her thought, she seemed to be the one asking most of the questions.

“Why did you not tell us this was up here? Why did you let us discover this awful thing?” a tremble of fear had enveloped her voice, first the bombings back home, then Dad and Grandpa, and now this. Was this the last nail?

“I didn’t warn you of this place because I have a proposition. You see, dwelling deep in these labyrinths are evil witches, they wallow in the dark and cause great toil amongst your populace, but I have watched you two. I have spectated you in combat, and I believe you have the strength to become a Magical Girl!” Kyubey dipped his head side to side in an attempt to show that this was a good thing. Evelyn couldn’t help but to raise an eyebrow at the creature, he gave such news yet remained completely unphased, her gut kicked in, and she knew something wasn’t right.

“What do you mean by Magical Girls?” Kyubey’s tail swooshed as he turned to face Evelyn, who was leaning against one of the four infinite doorways.

“Someone has to fight the witches, someone has to protect the ignorant from the horrors they do not know exist. In signing my contract, you will each be granted one wish, this wish can break laws of the universe, it can rewrite history, or bring the dead back to life. It is your choice, your fate. So tell me, what is the wish that will make your Soul Gem shine?” Evelyn thought for a long moment, and weighed her pros and cons.

“I’ve decided.” an overbearing confidence in her voice. Kyubey stared her down as silence settled over the room.

“So then, Evelyn Lewis, What is it that you desire most?”

“I’ve decided that neither my sister or I want any part in this. Keep your never ending mazes and witches and magic. We came here to do one thing: help the war effort. And...and that’s just what we’ll do.” 

“Is that really why you came? The way I see it you were helping your war effort plenty back in England. Are you sure it’s not something greater, a calling, maybe? I know more about you than you ever will or have the confidence to face. Lying to me is futile, Ms. Lewis, but maybe it’s not me you’re lying too.” Evelyn couldn’t hide the split second of shock in her eyes, how could he know? It'd been years and no one had suspected a thing, it was her business, yet he just put it out there like it was nothing, like she was nothing. Evelyn tightened her lips and narrowed her eyes at the cat, he remained completely unphased, his eyes so glossed over it was almost akin to looking in a mirror when eye contact was made.

“Evelyn…?” She broke eye contact and looked down to see Caroline staring at her with the pained questioning of a dog being put down. Her eyes couldn't help but to soften at the sight of Carolines mistrust. She turned her attention back to Kyubey, giving him a glare before picking up her rifle and grabbing Caroline by the wrist, pulling her to her feet and forcing her down the stairs. As Evelyn made her way down stairs, she stopped eye level with the landing and looked back, glaring at her reflection in Kyubey’s eyes. 

“I’ll be waiting for you, Ms. Lewis. Your people need you. While one would typically take what you're doing as a brash and ignorant insult, I will keep the offer open. Remember, one wish, and you too can become a Magical Girl.” He remained expressionless, as did Evelyn, who merely turned and hit the landing at the bottom of the steps.

“We’re getting out of this house.” She ordered as she met up with Caroline in the kitchen, who had found a tin of biscuits and a discarded canteen.

“We can fill it up, it was just sitting here.” She stated in a hurt tone, still in the dark on the battle that had just been fought. The door stood open, and once out of the house the sound of distant battle resumed. The sun was setting low now, and colors of bright orange and gold shone all through the small valley. A water pump laid not far from the house, and soon the canteen that had been discovered inside was filled with water and stowed away in Caroline’s pack.

“How long were we in there for?”

“Must have been...hours, at least. The sun will be down soon, we need to find a place to sleep.” Evelyn dropped her head, gathering her thoughts before looking back up again and taking a deep breath. “Look, Caroline. I don’t want to think I'm hiding something from you, I'm not. That..thing, whatever it is, is lying. He doesn't know anything about me...o-or you, or…" She trailed off, running herself out of breath. "Look. Just stay away from it. Don't talk to it, I don't care if he promises you the bloody moon. Just don't, he's bad news." Evelyn reached in and shut the front door, which just swung open again, requiring a slam in order for it to stick. Caroline took a breath to argue, but was hushed when she saw the soul shattering glare Evelyn produced after slamming the door.

“Ye...Yes Ma'am.” Caroline said in a quiet, flat tone, which was met with Evelyn giving a kind grin as she pulled her amber hair out of her face. After some exploration the barn revealed itself to be in good condition, and was able to be slept in after a couple bites of bread and some water. As Evelyn watched Caroline fall asleep she could see him, for he had taken up to the roof of the house, the moonlight caught his crimson eyes and outlined his body. Somehow in her head she could hear him clear as day, as if he was right beside her.

" _ I know you haven’t come around yet, Ms. Lewis, but I can see you have sturdy potential as a Magical Girl. _ " She was so tired she didn’t debate, Caroline was passed out, little breaths slipping in and out of her lips, which ment Evelyn could finally rest too. She relaxed on the pile of hay, cradling her rifle, the weapon that protected them up to that point. She soon fell unconscious, nursed to sleep by the sounds of distant artillery as if it was rain.

As she fell deeper and deeper her mind pondered the events of the day, the sounds of gunfire crept back in, louder and louder until she was watching herself from above, the German’s leg crumpling under him, Kyubey appearing from the bushes, the sound of the German taking his own life. Once inside the house, the light from outside had been tinted a blood red, the shadows a dark, never ending abyss that could only be fought off by light. Her rifle clattering to the ground at the top of the stairs seemed to echo with endless reverb, and once settled the house seemed to just, disappear into a white void, along with everyone else. She lunged from her knees for Caroline, tackling her, but midway through the fall her sister disappeared into thin air. Evelyn collapsed in the void. Tears ran down her cheeks as she hiccuped on her breath, trying to fill her lungs.

“ _ This will be your fate, your destiny _ .” She looked up from the floor, two massive hollow circles had appeared in the vast land of nothingness, a color of red so potent it seemed to have the ability to suck someone inside consumed them. The sounds of gunfire and distant shrieking flooded in, echoing across the plain. The blaring noise, so clear and deathly loud she had no choice but to crumple over until her forehead tapped the smooth white surface, covering her ears as she continued to choke on breath and tears. Her knees rolled out from under her, now completely slumped on the ground there was nothing else to do but join the chorus of pain. Her fingers felt wet with blood against her ears as in between cries she begged to make it stop. Begged for relief, but the screaming and crying and shooting and disappointment only got louder to the point of where Evelyn couldn’t even feel her own vocal chords anymore, for the vibrations of the noise elsewhere had overtaken them. Her teeth felt like they were going to shake out of her head, her brain pulsed against her skull to the point of possible rupture. 

Normally in the past a dream like this would end, she would start to fall and jerk awake, or trip or something, anything to take her out of this world, but there was nothing to wake her, nothing to save her. Just noise. The sound only pushed on, completely paralyzing her with the sound of screaming, it had started unidentifiable, but she knew who it was now, Caroline. Who else could it be? Every now and again a male's breathless wail could be made out to be her father, maybe her grandfather, but other than that the sheer terror encased in Caroline’s powerless howl was enough to move one to tears.

Finally after what seemed like hours and hours of torture, the void went dark. Pitch black, along with the sound. All that was left was the feeling of air filling and escaping her lungs, the trembling of her strained muscles, the tears slipping down her cheeks. 

She blinked, and cold rushed in like a busted dam. Evelyn fluttered her eyes open once more as she sank into what had been the glossy hard floor only moments ago. Now, it crunched beneath her. _ Snow? _ Evelyn’s eyes darted upward, frozen trees surrounded her where there once was nothing.  _ What...is this place? _ Slowly she climbed to her feet, throwing the light blue tail of her scarf over her shoulder as she went. Confused, she looked around, the snow behind her was rippled and cracked, blown out of place, freshly fallen tree branches scattered the forest floor. A battle had been waged here. Evelyn looked up into the light grey sky, and started to pick up her feet. In the distance a branch snapped free, on edge Evelyn whipped around her shoulder to confront the sound.

“Hello?! Who's there?!” Her breath smoked in front of her pink nose, she instinctively reached for her belt, grabbing the hilt of sword dangling from her side.  _ Where did I get this? _ There was no response to her cry except for a distant echo. Wind cut through the trees, causing Evelyn to shiver. 

“Evelyn, hey, wake up. Evelyn.” Finally after what seemed like an eternity her eyes opened to find the barn dimly lit by the morning sun, her coat laid beside her. She had sweat through her white button down, even though she could see her breath in the early morning hours. Her rifle sat clutched in her arms like a stuffed animal, and straws of hay poked and prodded her skin through her sweater vest.

“Are you alright?” It was then that the realization came that she could hear once more, her fingers rushed to her ears, which were dry. Her eyes were wet and crusty, and the rim of her nostrils had gone tender to the touch. Without much thought Evelyn sprang up and hugged her around the neck, Caroline was quick to return the favor, but it was clear she didn’t understand why. Evelyn drew back and cupped Caroline's cheeks in her palms, examining her face, her rich brown hair and forest green eyes, her cheeks were damp, eyes almost empty. Something wasn’t quite right, maybe she had seen the same dream. Caroline broke the eye contact by handing her the dented canteen, and as Evelyn drank she once again made eye contact with Kyubey, who still sat perched on the roof. Even just as an outline in the sun, his eyes were still clearly visible, they had an encapsulating glow to them.

“Yeah, you were sweating really bad...so I took your coat off. I hope you haven’t come down with a cold.”

“I’m sure I’m fine, yesterday was just, interesting.”

“I think it would be for the better if we just didn’t talk about it.” Evelyn studied Caroline’s face as she took a bite of bread, she tried to tell herself it didn’t matter, but she couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong.

“How long have you been awake?” Evelyn took a chance to prod. Her sister looked through the doorway out of the barn, past the house and out across the dew covered valley.

“Not that long, just ‘fore you, actually.” She took another bite of bread, before wrapping it in the napkin and shoving it down in her pack.

“Alright, well I think we better get moving. I think it’s been proven enough that there’s nothing here for us, we should probably backtrack and go through Saint-Lô. That’s where the news said the U.S went.” Caroline shot a look at Evelyn, who couldn’t help but to keep eye contact with Kyubey.

“That’s gotta be pretty close to the combat zone, I mean, we are just kids, Evelyn.”

“And you think the guys fighting are something more? Dad was seventeen when he came over, Grandad was nineteen when he went to Africa. We could be of use over there.” 

“Where even is over there?”

“My guess is somewhere past Saint-Lô. I’m sure we’ll find them, maybe we could help the people there, they could need it.” With that it was settled, but there was business to be taken care of before they were to depart. 

“We should bury him, he was probably just scared.” The two girls now towered over the felled German, it was a gruesome sight, but with no shovel proper burial could not be achieved. Evelyn dislodged his rifle from his mouth, causing his body to fall straight back with a thud. After a bit of digging around his different pouches, enough ammunition was found to fully reload the rifle three times, fifteen rounds. Evelyn yanked the bolt back, expelling the empty casing.

“Are you gonna trade Dad’s rifle for that?” Evelyn took her attention away from the chamber to look at Caroline.

“I don’t want to, but I might. It has more rounds, there’s probably more ammunition laying around. Until I decide...I’ll carry both.” She flashed a quick smirk at Caroline before looking down at the kid, who couldn’t have been older than twenty, out here all alone, the rest of his squad had either ran or been killed, or maybe he just got lost. He wasn’t a Nazi, he was just a part of Germany’s war machine. Evelyn heard back home that the German army was starting to enlist kids, not just teenagers but eleven and twelve year olds. There was even one report floating around that the U.S picked up some eight year olds,  _ God. How desperate are they getting? _

The two pulled the boy behind a tree, laid his arms across his chest, and left him for the Germans to find or mother nature to take. The new rifle was definitely a step up above the hunting rifle, it used smokeless powder, and could hold five rounds at once. It had to be a Kar 98, she knew that much, Germany’s primary service weapon. She slung it over her right shoulder, crossing the hunting rifle from left to right over her back.

The two back tracked up the road until they hit an intersection, it was pretty simple, a white sign pointed them to the previously avoided Saint-Lô. Evelyn would peek over her shoulder every now and again to see Kyubey trailing about twenty feet back, he seemed to not take the multiple glaires Evelyn shot at him as a hint, as he never reacted or veered off course.

“Caroline, you-” Evellyn searched the sky for the words. “Yesterday, all I was doing was trying to protect you. Bringing you over here was the biggest mistake of my life, not because you’re bad at fighting or in combat, but because you’re good at it. A fifteen year old girl shouldn’t be good at fighting. Now I’m just trying to do what I came here to do and protect you, you...understand that, right?” Caroline stared straight up the path.

“A sixteen year old shouldn’t be good at fighting either, Evelyn. And I don’t think you have to worry about me. All those times when we were cleaning up London, I did fine by myself. I can do fine by myself here too.” Worry filled Evelyn’s voice.

“Well, you’re not gonna go running off or something, right? I can’t do this alone. That’s, that's why I brought you!” Caroline nodded, and reaffirmed that she wasn’t going anywhere as they crested a hill. By now the sun was falling, and soon it would hide behind the hills once more. The cold was kicking up, Evelyn felt it in her fingers, and she knew they weren’t making it to Saint-Lô tonight. “Hey, I think we should bed down for the night, let’s go up in the trees in case somebody comes.” Caroline nodded in the fading light, and they climbed the three foot embankment onto uncharted ground. 

After about five minutes of walking into the woods Evelyn made sure to ram a stick in the ground pointing in the direction of the road, and they set up camp. The camp, was a ten by ten space of which the freshly fallen leaves were cleared, there was nothing else to do, for fire led to smoke, and there were no bed rolls, just their packs to be used as pillows.

Kyubey had seemingly disappeared, which Evelyn took as victory against the little creature; she took them when she could, for life had not been kind. She reached into her pack and pulled out the large white napkin, holding the loaf of bread she had been eating for the last two days. The breeze seemed to be getting sharper by the minute, and as she unwrapped the napkin she found that her fingers were starting to lose a little feeling. Caroline passed her the canteen as she ate her own bread, and in between bites sparked conversation.

“Evelyn, do you...miss home?” Evelyn looked at her bread, examining the air pockets and watched the detail disappear with the dimming of the light.

“Well, yeah, but I think we’re doing alright for ourselves, don’t you?” Caroline looked down, hunched over like an animal waiting to explode against its prey. By now only outlines could be made out amidst the trees.

“Well...we’re just as alone here as we are there, but-” She took a slow bite of bread, holding it in her mouth. “But-” Her voice pitched up substantially, trembling over the cliff of emotion below. She swallowed hard, partially regaining herself. “I don’t want to be here, but I didn’t want to stay home. Everywhere feels the same. Why does everything feel the same?! Why can’t I just feel different for once?! How do you stay so positive in such a wicked place?!” She broke into tears, slamming her bread on the napkin. Evelyn exhaled slowly and wrapped her bread up, feeling empty as she moved to hug her sister. Her arms extended for a hug before a blunt impact pushed on her chest. “Get away! Get away Dammit! Don’t..touch me.” Evelyn fell backward, catching herself on her elbows. She turned to see Kyubey sitting on the dirt not ten feet away, spectating in silence. Tail swishing side to side. By now dark had fallen completely on the trees, and only slivers of moonlight slipped in between the branches.

“Caroline, I’m sorry, I...I don’t know what to do. I…” She looked at her hands, hoping to God there would be something to read off them, something that would make sense. Caroline had never really been one to break down, always quiet and subdued, if she had a problem she would talk to Dad or Grandpa about it. But with Dad being gone for a year and Grandpa’s condition worsening, Evelyn had taken over completely while still learning how to take care of herself. It was an impossible task, and it was only a moment before either of them could take no more. “I, I’m sorry Caroline...I-” her voice cracked over the words.

“Lemme guess; don’t know what to do? Yeah, join the club Evelyn. You act like you’re all perfect and beautiful and full of compassion, a hug doesn’t make everything okay! You shot a guy yesterday! You were trying to kill him!”

“Because he was going to kill us!” By now the two were practically screaming at each other in the darkness, completely forgetting about the possibility of being found. “You have no idea how hard that was, how terrifying it was to pull the trigger!”

“Well you wouldn’t have had too if we were back home Evelyn!”

“Yeah but at least here we’re able to shoot back! Back home they were trying to kill us with their bombs every other day, the way I see it, it might have been better if we shot back. I’m sorry that you clearly don’t think the same, but last time I checked you didn’t have to sneak on the damned ship!” At this Caroline's face lit up, a hodgepodge of pain and ire flashed across her eyes.

“Oh yeah? And do what Evelyn! What in the hell was I supposed to do besides leave with you, go live in _fucking_ hospital with Grandpa! The house is gone, you lost it, so I’m trying to figure out where in the hell you’re sayin’ I should have gone!” With this Evelyn had had it, she grabbed her rifle and pack, holding back a breakdown of her own. Silver moonlight caught the tears welling in her eyes as she stood over her sister, who still had a speck of childish emotion in her eye all these years later.

“I don’t know, Caroline...maybe you should have asked everyone else who lost their homes too.” With that she turned and walked into the woods, leaving her sister behind. Once far enough away she collapsed behind a tree, finally allowing the tears to flow. She took a deep breath, but lost it almost immediately to the next wave of emotion. The stress had finally built up enough to break the facade, and long desperate wails took over. She threw her head back, bashing it against the bark. Dad was gone, the house was gone, Grandpa was gone, now Caroline was going too. All because of her. 

_ Why are you such a terrible person?! What the hell is wrong with you! _ She bawled her hands into fists and slammed them against the dirt, crying out for God in a Godless country. Her heart pulsed in her fingers as snot began to leak from her cold, red nose. It felt best to just crumple up into a ball and stay there forever.

“See Ms. Lewis. You know why you’re here.” She looked up to see Kyubey high in the trees, staring down from above. In between sniffles she reached across her chest for the rifle laying in the dirt, raising it’s sights at the cat.

“What...the hell...do you know about me!?” She took breath in quickly and sharply, the kind of breath that holds back sniffles and sucks lips to teeth.

“It’s not what I know about you, Ms. Lewis, rather it’s what you know about yourself. Why you’re having such an ‘emotional’ reaction over a problem that seems so trivial in the big scheme of things. The truth is, this isn’t your first, it’s just the first you’ve expressed. Why you humans are so insistent on having these physical and emotional breakdowns over the smallest of partnerships is both an interesting yet annoying concept. However it does have the benefit of causing instances such as two sisters embarking on one’s ‘self discovery’ mission.”

“Self discovery, what the hell’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Well, for instance, you’re here to prove something to yourself. You’re so determined to prove it that you brought the only individual that holds any relation to you into a war zone. So, what is so important that you are trying to prove? I already know, but are you willing to face it, face the reasoning behind your own actions?” The barrel fell from the sky and clattered to the dust as Evelyn ran out of stamina, forcing her to consider what the creature was saying. Her long desperate wails had been flattened into quiet short sobs, and she looked at the dirt for answers only she possessed.

“I...I wanted to win. I, have failed...over and over and over again. Dad didn’t know he needed a mask to go in that building, I did. Now he’s dead. Grandpa was supposed to go to hospital for better treatment. I said it would be better if we did it at the house, give the hospital more room. Now, he’s dead. I couldn’t make enough money to keep the house, so we lost that too. I needed to win. I needed to fight back. So I got Caroline...and we got on a ship, and now...she’ll probably end up dead too. Just like the rest of ‘em.” She laid back and exhaled, by now the tears had stopped, and all that was left was a hollow tone of voice.

“Magical Girls win, Ms. Lewis.” She couldn’t help but to look up, the thought of protecting people from what they saw in the farmhouse was compelling, the wish was twice that.

“What is your wish, Evelyn?”


	3. But First They Were Made

“Evie, wake up. Time to go.” A husky voice whispered into her ear. Evelyn’s eyes slowly flicked open, the world coming into focus as the rest of her body woke up. The birds were yet to chirp, and the ancient stone used to construct the room could just barely be made out. Caroline had taken most of the sheets, as per usual, so she had no problem rolling out of bed. 

Her feet hovered an inch above the floor before she pushed herself off the bed and onto the cool wooden planks. The house was quiet except for Grandpa’s snoring in the other room, and as she changed into her brown pants and plaid button down Caroline rolled into the middle of the bed, making herself comfortable. Her feet wiggled into her hiking boots, and she stood in the mirror for a few minutes trying to get her caramel hair out of the way, the best she could do was a quick bun that would only partly keep the hair out of her face, there was just too much of it.

Soon she slipped down stairs and wandered into the kitchen, where Dad was waiting with two eggs from the chickens out back. Sitting at the table Evelyn couldn’t help but to stare at the rifle hung on the wall, waiting to be grasped in her tiny hands.

“So, whatcha hopen’ to get today?” Evelyn couldn’t help but to let out a small chuckle, she knew he was just trying to make conversation but the answer was obvious.

“I wanna deer!” She called playfully, letting out a larger laugh this time in between bites of her over-easy eggs. Dad had never really talked much, he mostly just stared, sometimes at his girls, which would always result in a gentle smile, but mostly just off into nothingness, letting his eyes glaze over completely. On the mantle were three pictures, displaying the lineage of military service in the Lewis family. Consisting of Evelyn’s Grandad, William, standing for a portrait wrapped in glorious colors of British military red, and Dad’s two pictures from the Great War. One consisting of him in his dress uniform before he went over, and the other of him and his mates by what looked to be a destroyed tank.

By now the sun had come up enough for the oil lamp to be put out, and both father and daughter had finished their eggs.

“Ready?” Thomas said excitedly, putting on his flat cap and reaching for the rifle on the wall. This sent Evelyn through the roof with excitement, as it was time to go deer stalking.

“Yes, yes!” Her high pitched voice almost echoed in the small kitchen. With that they set out, opening the door revealing the lush green woodland that surrounded the house. They walked out to the dirt road as Evelyn followed her dad, strolling across the thick green grass to have a chat with George, who stood by the road. He stopped side by side and lit a cigarette, asking if George wanted one along the way, the answer was always no.

“How you doin’ George?” He mumbled, in between puffs.

“Oh I’m alright Thomas, how ‘bout you Evelyn, how are you doin’ this mornin’?” All it took was a smile for him to see the excitement. “I’ve got a good feelin’ ‘bout today, we’re on their tails, I know it. Maybe Evelyn here can finally shoot herself a deer.” Dad replied with a smile and nod, before taking one last puff of his rolled tobacco and flicking it out on the grass.

“Alright fellas, let’s get us a deer.” He picked up the rifle, his father's from his military days. It wasn’t much considering the circumstance, it could only fire one shot before needing to be reloaded, but it’s what had been available to him. He cracked the breach open and slid a round into the chamber. The round disappeared inside the rifle, and he slid it over his shoulder. George picked up a newer looking gun, Evelyn had heard him refer to it as an Enfield, and they started down the trail, soon having to leave it behind and make their way through virgin woodland.

They walked through the woods, crossing old fences and climbing hills, the morning sun was up by now, and the further they went the small talk about the new Model nineteen thirty eight and others like it between the adults lessened and lessened until Thomas pulled Evelyn aside. He squatted down and adjusted his flat cap, flashing a relaxed smile before moving his chew to the other side of his mouth.

“All right Evie, we think we’re close to ‘em now, Mr.George found some droppings over by that tree. So we gotta be quiet, real real quiet. M’kay sweet pea?”

“Okay Daddy, I’ll try my best.”

“Good...you remember our hand signs?” 

“Mmhm.” Thomas looked at George and gave him a nod before turning his attention back to Evelyn. 

“Let’s go then.” he rubbed his nose and got up, bringing his rifle off the shoulder and into his arms. They continued on through the woods, the birds sang great choruses through the trees, crickets clicked and clacked through the woods, and the summer temperature only climbed higher and higher. The smell of the woodland and the things dwelling in it wafted through the forest, dew sat on every leaf and vine, and moss smothered the rocks. 

It wasn’t long before there was a break in the trees, and after some more walking it turned out to be a massive valley, spanning at least two miles across. On the other side white smoke billowed in a line, Evelyn soon spotted the locomotive causing it, and wanted to point it out, but that would be breaking the no talking rules. Dad took his stalking very seriously, spending entire days out in the woods looking for just one deer. At the time Evelyn had no idea why, though she would later find out.

Just then the focus on the train was broken as both Dad and Mr.George very slowly lowered their bodies onto the grass and dirt. Evelyn followed, and made her way up her Dad’s left side, with Mr.George on his right. Dad nudged Evelyn and pointed out into the valley. Scattered across the field was a small group, five deer maybe, feeding on the grass. Mr.George already had his rifle lined up, ready to take his shot. 

Thomas put the rifle right in front of Evelyn, and as quietly as he could coached her on setting up the shot. The rifle felt so big and heavy in her hands, it was a tool requiring much respect, no matter how old it was. Her dad moved to help her line up the sights, and coached her through what everything ment, the distance, the way it should feel and so on. Evelyn eased her tiny finger forward and wrapped it around the trigger, her heart rate picked up, but she didn’t know why. The little bump on the end of the gun sat in the bottom of the rear sight, and both of them pointed right at one of the deer.

“Ready honey?” Dad whispered, making sure everything looked right.

“Ready Daddy.” He turned back toward George, who was lined up and ready, and gave him a nod.

“Wait until she fires, please.”

“Got it, good luck to ya las.”

“Pull the trigger when you’re ready sweet pea.” After some more tiny adjustments, Evelyn ever so slowly started inching back on the trigger, until the resistance grew just a little. The gun went off, immediately followed by George, who didn’t so much as flinch when the shot rang out. Smoke poured out of the barrel and the butt kicked into Evelyn’s shoulder hard, almost instantly bruising it. The round punched into the deer’s stomach, knocking it to the ground for a split second. It sprang to its feet, the round had ripped a gash a few inches top to bottom in its side. This spark in pain made the deer go wild, for it was being attacked by an enemy it was too dumb to see. 

In the bucking blood and stomach acid spewed from the animal's body, only for it to be partly plugged by an intestine trying to escape the beast. 

“Evelyn c’mon reload! Reload the rifle you nearly got it!” Confidence escaped Thomas’ voice as he pulled the rifle away from the nine year old, shoving another round into the chamber. Evelyn froze, the world seemed to move in slow motion as the animal bucked and leapt wildly in the air, painting a mosaic of blood on the grass around it.

_ How could Dad do this? What is this feeling? Mad, confused, hurt? Does it feel like this everytime?  _ The sound of a muffled gunshot made its way into Evelyns’ head, and the limping deer tensed up, ceasing all movement before the divot in the top of its head turned red and it fell over. Only one word came to mind.  _ Dead _ . The deer was dead. She took a small breath before being scooped up off the ground, surrounded in a hug from Thomas. His thumb coursed through her hair and she was sure she could hear him whispering something, but the dull whine in her ears from the gunfire turned his voice to nothing more than a faded mutter. 

She was looking straight ahead, yet she couldn’t see anything, it all just seemed to blur in and out of focus. After a while Thomas held Evelyn in his arms as they approached the carcass, its eyes wide open as it layed there in the flattened grass. It had fallen on its side, and it was apparent that Evelyn's innocent round had hit bone, fragmenting inside the animal.

Blood seeped from the tear in its side, and the large intestine pressed hard against the hole, knotting around itself with enough pressure to seemingly rupture. 

Ever so slowly Evelyn’s hearing came back, making out George’s protests on showing Evelyn the animal.

"I'm not too sure you should be showin' this to 'er Thomas, that was pretty bad, she looks pretty shook up.”

"It's an important lesson, to know just what happens when you pull that trigger. Teaches respect I tell ya." He sat Evelyn on the ground, who couldn't help but to stare at the animal, the wound in its side. 

_ Had she really caused that? It always looked so fun when Dad did it, there was never a struggle, why did it struggle when she did it? What did she do wrong, what was wrong with her? _

Evelyn didn't want to see it, she wanted to look at George or Thomas or the trains speeding across the other side of the valley, just anything or anyone other than the dead deer on the ground, but no matter what she told herself, no matter how hard she tried she could only see the remains of the life she had taken. Thomas huffed.

"Alright, let's get back home, I think we've done enough here." 

His rifle ended up in her hands, soon joined by George’s Enfield as the men pulled their deer over their shoulders to head home. Evelyn trailed behind, both rifles over her shoulders. The deer stared into her as it hung over Thomas’ back, George's kill had been a clean one, directly through what must have been the heart, its eyes were glassy, calm and half open. The deer slumped over Thomas’ shoulder was a different sight completely, its eyes pried wide open, filled with fear and shock and panic, but most present was the pain, the confusion. Evelyn didn’t understand it. How could something dead have such an overabundance of emotion still encapsulated in its eyes?

Once at the house the deer was dropped off at the cutting table outside, George retreated to his house with many farewells, and it was about time for dinner. The door squeaked open and Evelyn walked inside, there were too many conversations going on in her head to make any in real life, and too many recollections to focus on anything with her eyes. She walked over and hung the rifle on the wall, before taking a seat next to Caroline at the table. Her eyelids felt heavy, but anytime they were closed the deer would buck wildly in her head, the result was a half open stare that could penetrate anything it looked at.

Caroline stared at her, mouth open, trying to comprehend everything that could be read off of her sister's facial expression, there was too much to count. Out of her peripheral vision she could see William mouth ‘Bad day?’ to Thomas from across the room, who merely shook his head in agreement. He frowned and went back to eating his venison. 

_ How did that deer die? Did it do a ballet of pain before finally being put out of its misery? Or did it not know what hit it. Boom. Dead.  _ She could see it happen, the way its legs would collapse underneath its lifeless body without the thought of running even having time to enter it’s mind.  _ Boom. Dead. Just dead.  _ She thought. _ No reactions, no clue what happened, just dead. Hit the grass like a bag of stones. _ She didn’t know how she could have been so oblivious, she had been stalking with Thomas since she was eight, it was fun, it was bonding. But now she knew what it really was, survival. Pure, crazed survival, nothing fun about it.  _ Boom. Dead. _

Caroline felt powerless, she had never seen Evelyn look so defeated in her entire life.  _ What happened? Dad went stalking almost every day, why was she so shook up about shooting one deer, did she miss? _ She couldn’t help but to stare, their venison and eggs going cold in each other’s peripheral vision. 

“Evelyn, you alright?” William’s rich voice travelled across the table and went right through Evelyn, not even thinking about the answer.

“Fine,” Her mouth hung open before snapping out of it, blinking for the first time in what had seemed like forever and stabbing her plate, shoving down a massive piece of cool meat and smiling the best she could. “May I be excused, I’m really tired.”

Thomas and William looked at each other, before finally giving her permission to leave the table. With no words she got up, took her plate to the sink, and walked upstairs to their room. Caroline looked across the table, her eight year old mind trying to push the thought out of something being wrong but it stuck, things never stuck.  _ That look, what was wrong? What happened, why? _ She zoned out completely at the table, exhausting her options as to what she could comprehend. She wanted to know, she wanted to learn what that look was. What that look meant, why it meant so much to her. She took another bite of fresh meat, chewing on her thoughts at twice the tempo.

Dinner was silent. The single light hung dimly over the table, reflecting brass colors onto the limited appliances, like a stage light over a soloist at a concert. Thomas was the first to finish, he shoved the last bite of egg into his mouth and thrust his chair back, standing up in one singular motion, making a beeline for the sink. The sounds of china hitting the ceramic basin filled the room, and William didn’t make an attempt to ask his son what he was doing.  _ He’s had a long day, a hard day, I’ll find out later. _ He walked past the table brisk as possible and climbed the stairs, not a word left his mouth. 

Caroline stared through the wall, her fork sinking into another bite of meat and egg without even thinking about it. Her mind raced, before eventually becoming clear and empty, whatever Evelyn saw, it would probably resolve itself by tomorrow, that’s the way it had always been. She rammed her fork down again, a jolt ran up her forearm and her skin crawled as the fork made impact with the now empty plate, her eyes shot down as the fork skid across the china, coming to a stop with a clatter.

“Sorry, I’m finished.” William said nothing, and Caroline dumped her plate in the sink, making a break for the stairs. The door to their room creaked open, revealing Evelyn hunched over the bed. Quiet sobs made their way across the room, and Caroline walked over and sat on the bed, confused but feeling it was the right thing to do. “Evelyn…?” She looked up and across the room, wiping away tears with her sleeves. “What...happened?”

“I...I don’t know, I think I did something wrong...it...it was sad. I wish I could tell you, but, I-I just can’t.” She went quiet, the golden glow of the oil lamp clashing with the pale blue of her eyes colored them a shallow green, seconds passing like hours in the dim light. Caroline had had enough trying to understand, she changed into her nightgown and climbed in bed. Evelyn eventually did the same, pulling the heavy quilts up to her chin, hugging her sides. Slowly she reached over and turned the oil lamp off and laid back, her muscles just as tense as when she pulled the trigger, they hadn't relaxed in an eternity, and finally she felt the strain in her arms give up. Her eyes fell closed, and eventually she managed to fall asleep.

“What is your wish, Evelyn?” Her eyes snapped open, her mind raced through the options,  _ oh the limitless options _ . Kyubey sat in the tree, glaring down upon her with the intensity of a thousand men. 

“I-I want to end the war, right now!” Kyubey responded without missing a beat, this had happened before, it had to have, it’s such an obvious wish.

“I regret to inform you that this wish is not possible with your potential, though it is in good faith you simply don’t have the power to turn such a tide.”  _ Potential? _

“What do you mean by potential?” Her heart beat slowly, calm all over her inside but nerves seemed to wrap up her outside in a neat little bow.

“Our wishes are able to break the bonds of this universe, but every single one uses the potential of the individual that makes it. Think of it like your guns, the bullet only penetrates as far as the powder firing it allows, the more powder, typically the deeper the bullet will penetrate. You, Mrs.Lewis, do not have enough powder to stop the war.” Evelyn fumed, her heart fell into her lungs and she swallowed hard.

“You said we could do anything with our wishes, why can’t I end the damned war!?” She slammed the butt of the rifle into the dirt, commanding a response.

“As previously stated, you do not have enough potential as a magical girl to justify such a momentous wish, my apologies, but you will have to think of something else.” Her mind searched for anything, anything worth it, before coming to a definitive conclusion.

“I want my parents back. Bring them back to life.” A glint of moonlight flashed around Kyubey’s eyes as he bent over Evelyn. All at once a pressure built in her chest unlike anything she had felt before, her back arched and her head pushed against the tree, she couldn’t help but to let out a cry in discomfort. Soon an amber light filled her vision, she squinted her eyes open, and an orb of light hovered in front of her face.

“The contract has been made, and your wish has prevailed over entropy. Your parents shall awaken on the streets of London. Now, Evelyn Rose Lewis, go, fulfill your destiny as a Magical Girl and do battle with the evils of this world!” Her eyes glanced up at the animal, his red circles glowing bright and ears outstretched before him. The glance was only for a second, yet she felt as if she had been lost in his eyes for years. She looked back down to the bulb of light in front of her and reached out, clasping the orb in her hands, enveloping it. “This is your fate, your destiny.” She blinked, and everything went to black.

Caroline hugged her knees, Evelyn was gone, just vanished into the woods. Her breath still chugged in between tears, and the camp layed desolate. Her eyes turned to the ground, and saw the bread being devoured by ants. All at once she picked it up and shooed them off, cradling the bread. __

_ How could she have been so stupid? What was she supposed to do now? Sure Evelyn had been dumb to bring her here, but they were here now, and there was little to no chance of getting back. _ She dragged a long sleeve across her face, clearing her eyes and nose of tears and snot. Wrapping the bread and shoving it back in her pack she got up and looked around, complete silence in every direction surrounded her. The dark was thick, and moonlight slashed the dirt in between the trees, which were becoming more scarce of leaves every day. 

_ Winter is coming. _ The thought flashed through her mind,  _ what do we have? What do I have, the coat I have now is already giving up against the cold _ . She grabbed the rifle Evelyn had left behind, the hunting rifle, and stuck it in the dirt to mark camp, walking around the immediate area. Yelling was not an option, what would happen if someone heard her? Eventually she found herself crouching against a tree, hugging her calves, the feeling of being alone had fully revealed itself. 

She grabbed the rifle and held the cool steel, afraid to check the chamber to see if it was loaded, she liked the comfort in pretending it was, but she knew it was probably empty. Slowly a distaint drone filled her ears, a low pounding sound that drew her eyes to the sky, looking at the stars through the branches. Eventually she spotted them, planes, bombers. British bombers. Their contrales streaked across the sky and their drone carried through the trees, she guessed it wouldn’t be long before they flew over an anti-aircraft battery.

It was strange, to be the one watching the planes head to their target, in the Blitz she had helped watch for bombers and ran ammunition to an anti air emplacement, but the role was now reversed. Not a minute after they had come into view, massive beams of light flickered on and stretched up into the atmosphere, the sound of German 20mm anti aircraft guns pitter pattered in the distance, dotting the sky with little bursts of orange. She couldn’t help but to watch, the fastest way out of the cloud of fire was through it, but it didn’t mean it was easy. 

Every now and again one of the gunners found his mark, and an orange line would streak across the stars, punctuated by a shimmering ball of red that lit up the night more than any search light could.  _ Did they get out?  _ She knew the answer deep down, traveling at two hundred miles an hour in pitch black, the burst of fire was bright enough to make Caroline squint, she couldn’t imagine looking at it up close. Another plane ignited and fell from the sky, the flames pouring from its groaning engine streaking far enough to split the night sky. It only picked up speed, barely holding itself together until it disappeared behind the hills. Only for a second did orange flash against the trees, the crunch of impact didn't make it halfway to the wood. 

Eventually the sound of conflict faded, and there were too many trees between the planes and Caroline to tell what was going on, leaving her alone again. Distant sounds of artillery whistling through the cold echoed across the valley's, and the clicks and clacks of insects carried through the length of the wood.

Everywhere there were reminders of the war, be they planes in the sky or guns in the distance, it was never ending. The world was still scarred from the last conflict, field guns left to be consumed by nature as payback for the massive gashes they cut across her grass, crevices and craters had been a common sight since the landing, scattered around almost like sand traps on a massive golf course. 

Evelyn's eyes rolled open, her cheek pressed hard against the cool Earth.  _ What happened? Where am I? _ Questions flooded her splitting head, her vision had doubled and her chest ached with soreness. She rolled on her back and posted up against the tree, realizing that there was something clasped in her hand, almost feeling like a little trinket. She opened her dirt stained palms, and her eyes lit up with a tinge of wonder. Encased in her hands was a small, egg shaped stone, glowing a soft amber wrapped in studded gold, almost like a head of a scepter. Sitting on the top was a small triangle, made of two gold slabs laying against each other, in all it couldn’t have been bigger than a deck of playing cards. She couldn’t help but to say it outloud.

“Does this mean,” Quickly she looked around,  _ how long had it been, were there any witnesses? _ Cool wind brushed through the leaves, knocking many to the ground as she clasped the stone in her hand, getting to her feet. The skies were clear, in the distance the sound of thousands of pounds of bombs crushing against their target echoed, ricocheting through the wood. She let the air out of her lungs, letting her face relax as she clutched the small gem to her chest. It was at this moment, in the cold silvery dark of the French wilderness, that everything felt completely natural.

“Evelyn...?” She heard a small voice from behind her, and turned to find Caroline standing stiff amongst trees. A glint of Moon hit her eyes, the uneven shine of tears ready to fall dominated her face. In low hung arms was the rifle, weighing down her entire figure and giving the aura that she had no idea how to use it, but felt better holding it. “I...I thought you were gone, I...what happened?”

Evelyn looked down, opening her palm and gazing into the seemingly endless depths of the gold wrapped stone. She had broken her own rule, nay law against talking to the creature Kyubey. 

_ She can’t know, I’ll save it, for later, when it’s important. _ Without thinking, almost as if second nature she pushed the stone into her hand with the other, and watched quietly as it wrapped around her finger and turned into a beautiful ring.

“I’m not sure, must have lost track of time, how long was I gone for?”

“It’s been a while...couple hours at least. Look, I’m, I’m sorry for what I said. I know you’re trying your best, and I...I’m sorry.” Evelyn didn’t care, there was such news _ , Mom Dad were alive! Brought back from dead, she could  _ _ feel _ _ it.  _

“It’s fine, really...I don’t mind. I know we’ve both been under a lot of stress, but, I think we'll be okay now.” Caroline posted the rifle against a tree, coming close to her sister.

"What makes you say that?" Examining the ring Evelyn didn't even look up, the internal wonder visible in her voice.

"I dunno, I just have this feeling everything's gonna be okay." 

"What's that?" Caroline bent over the polished ring, the small amber stone, now broken down into small pebbles reflecting the Moon's rays. Evelyn's mind rushed, trying to think of an answer worthy of laughing off.

"Pretty right? Just found it laying in the dirt, it actually fits just right. Who'd a’ thought?” Caroline's eyes grew, the cool Carmel glow filling her retinas.

"Beautiful, what a find!" Evelyn knew something was wrong, clearly Caroline didn't understand how an argument so harsh could be water under the bridge so quickly, _ if only she could hear the news, oh the great news! Not yet. Not until there's no choice but for her to know. _

"We should find somewhere to sleep, do you still have stuff at camp?" Caroline's head dipped, backtracking.

"Yeah..follow me." Soon they were bed down on the forest floor, fast asleep. Evelyn didn't dream, she gazed at the back of her eyelids the whole night, while Caroline tossed and turned, her mind making her jump through hoops of extraordinary proportions, chasing the calm sleep Evelyn had somehow achieved in such an oppressive time.


	4. Bought

Morning came early, the sun fighting through the branches, leaving spotted shadows all over the dirt. Evelyn’s eyes fought themselves open, her cheek pressed hard against the cool ground, leaves resting in her tangled hair. She looked up to see the rays of light caught in the early morning dew. Rubbing the smudge of earth off her cheek with a sweater vest sleeve, she examined her hand. Surely enough the ring was still there, stuck right on her finger in pristine condition.

Her eyes darted over to Caroline, who had finally found comfort in two handfuls of dirt, laid on her stomach with breaths just managing to get out of her mouth, long pushed shut by the weight of her head. Evelyn couldn’t help but to smirk at the sight of her sister, still neck deep in sleep. She was going to be out for a while. Evelyn got to her feet and took in the golden surroundings, the guns had ceased, the distant thunder must have gotten tired during the night and was holding off for late morning, a rare occurrence that only took place once in a blue moon. Her hair went up in a messy bun, freshly dead leaves being carefully prodded out with precise fingers before setting off to a more secluded part of the woods. 

Shadows laid out from each tree, stretching as far as the eye could see and marking just how baren the wood truly was. Grass was nowhere to be found, nothing but solid dirt covered the landscape dotted with large, wide beasts of trunks stretching two feet thick and seemingly hundreds of feet high, their rough bark seemed like it could reach out and grab her at any moment. 

Now far away from camp, Evelyn let out a cool breath and grabbed the ring, pulling it away from her finger. Surely enough it turned back into its original shape, and a cold voice filled her head.

" _ That's your Soul Gem, it serves as proof you have made a contract with me. _ " Evelyn's eyes bounced from tree to tree, looking for the little white creature. He sounded so close, as if he was talking directly into her ear. She pressed the gem to her chest with both hands, looking around in confusion and awe. " _ If you're looking for me, I'm reaching you using telepathy, using this makes for better communication between us, it's quite handy, isn't it? _ " Evelyn's mouth dropped in disbelief, her voice echoed in her head.

" _ Woah, that's incredible. Who can I talk with using this? _ "

" _ Well, just us and other Magical Girls, but we can give anyone telepathy, we just have to be within a certain distance of them." _

_ "Are there other Magical Girls around here? How many have made a contract with you?"  _ A fresh dose of leaves fell from the trees with a light gust of wind, and Evelyn became aware that Caroline would be waking soon.

" _We have made thousands of contracts over entropy spanning many lunar years. The fight against witches is a long and never ending one. That is why you must fight, for if they prevail in this universe it will surely be destroyed. I should warn you, however, witches are a valuable resource, and you may be forced to interface with other Magical Girls to earn their spoils."_ _Spoils? What spoils?_

" _ What spoils, what do they leave behind?" _

The leaves rustled, the golden hour was coming to a close and with it Evelyn's time away from camp. 

" _ My deepest regards, Evelyn, but we're almost out of range of telepathy. We'll talk more later, for now just let instinct take over. You'll know what to do."  _ Evelyn kicked the dirt in frustration.  _ Know what to do...what the hell is that supposed to mean!? _ She cooled her head and looked across the wood, deciding it was time to get back to Caroline. As she took the first step back there was a loud crash in the distance followed by another, the thunder had awoken.

Upon arrival Caroline was just opening her eyes, scraping the chunked dirt off of her front. She rubbed the earth off her hands and face before focussing on Evelyn, who stood there pack in hand.

"Where've you been off too?" Evelyn's eyes sank to the ground, her tone straight to the point.

"Just wondering about. Eat some breakfast and we'll be off." Caroline took a drink from the canteen, the sound indicating it would soon be empty.

“I hope we can get some water in Saint-Lô, we’re running low.” She shoved the quarter loaf of bread down in her bag, meeting Evelyn on her feet. “Maybe they’ll have some more food too.” Evelyn merely nodded, the news reels had shone an almost pristine city, surely the supplies there would be plentiful. They set off on the walk, slipping down the embankment and stumbling out onto the pockmarked road. The other night had been so eventful, it felt like ages since they had climbed the slope just the evening before.

As they ascended a small hill it wasn’t long before Evelyn noticed the small stream of dark smoke slipping up into the atmosphere. As they crested the hill the back of an olive green turret met them, soon accompanied by the rest of the tank. The hatches lay open, smoke pouring from the chipped and smoldered insides. Its cannon, stumpy and thick, sagged low off the side, tracking phantom targets. It hung off the side of the road, one track in a ditch, the other cut in half and hanging off the wheels.

“They just left it here?” Caroline asked, a tremble of fear hanging on the back of her tongue. Evelyn slipped the German rifle off her shoulder as they came around the side, divots and chipped away paint riddled the husk. On the side of the turret was a massive silvery gash, a cut in the metal so deep the glow of the fire inside could be seen in the furthest part of the laceration. Morning dew boiled in puddles on the machine, and a white star bubbled on the turret. The beast was weighed down with equipment that had been left behind, helmets stacked around the turret, boxes of ammunition just waiting to cook off. Frayed packs littered the ground around the vehicle. 

As they came around the front it became apparent as to what had ignited the now smoldering fire, as two rotten holes of curdled steel were made in the armor. The first, just to the right, had forcefully sunk into the armor, leaving behind a silvery pit of mangled metal. And the second, just to the left, had sunk in through the armor, only to blast back out, leaving behind a mangled circle of jagged charred steel that had rolled outward around the circumference of the hole. That had surely been the kill shot, leaving the tank distraught in its ability to fight back. The holes were ghostly, a remanence of a fast paced past long forgotten. They were the size of a fist, and inside the dark machine flames reached up and filled the compartment, almost like the firebox in a locomotive. Evelyn couldn’t help but to stare into the void, a fire smoldering so hot it boiled dew, bubbled paint.  _ How long has it been burning? _ She whipped around and looked out across the valley, the sight was pitiful.

Destroyed tanks sat carrened in sand colored craters, artillery fire had destroyed the road and knocked over the remaining trees. Blackened sections of grass stretched out in crisp circles, wind blowing the ash across tricking streams of muddy water from busted pipes. Destroyed German transports littered the other side, and past that the air seemed dense with thick, grey dust. The dust, now in sight, was caused by the remains of Saint-Lô. 

_ How, is this possible? Just last week, in the news. It was, perfect.  _ From what could be seen of the city there wasn’t much left. The fires, now smothered by dust from collapsed buildings, had seemingly leveled the colony. As they approached the outskirts, the walls of buildings with no floors seemed to only get larger, the bustle of people got louder, and it became clear that the war had completely demolished the city. The brick streets were crowded with survivors, dust layered the stones, and with each step a footprint was left behind like snow.

Collapsed buildings spilled into sections of the street, foggy water tainted with dirt and clumps of dust trickled down the street, flowing between the mountains of rubble. Dust stung the girls eyes as older men and women with beady eyes and wrinkled faces climbed over the blonde bricks. Grey dust and smoke hung low as broken glass crunched below Evelyn’s feet.

“Feu! Feu!” A short, older man dressed in a sports jacket and stained button down came rushing down the street, stumbling over cabinets and sinks and stoves. His dirty dress shoe sunk into the lowest point of the valley, clumps of damp stone dust soaked the bottom of his pant legs as he trudged down the cramped street. He fell against Evelyn, his brown cap falling to the ground. “Il y a un feu! Nous avons besoin d’eau!”

“What!?” Evelyn called, now that they were in the ruins the noise was incredible. The sound of water lines under pressure groaned under their feet, and the constant shifting of rubble echoed through the streets. She grabbed him by his stained hands, his stumpy fingers intertwining with hers. The man pulled himself away, making eye contact. His eyes were full of panic as he pointed back to a three story building up the street. It was connected to a smaller two story apartment, somehow both buildings were relatively intact, though littered with bullet holes.

“Feu, Ils vont tomber !”

“I’m sorry! We don’t speak French!” The man looked down the street for a moment, before his eyes got big at the realization that they couldn’t understand him. He started rapidly pointing and repeating himself, the panic growing in his voice before yelling something in french and pushing past the girls.

The bricks vibrated, pebbles bounced on the ground as inky smoke started to seep out of the rubble. The ground was humming now, starting to shake with violence until Carolines ankle rolled out from under her. She fell against Evelyn who wrapped her sister in her arms, catching their reflection in a window in the apartments. They hadn’t even realized how dirty they’d become, and she didn’t have much time to study herself before the window pane shattered outward in an explosion of razor sharp shards, coating the street. The white wood of the window frame splintered and a cloud of smoke poured out as other windows combusted from the pressure.

The white frame folded in, and Evelyn watched as the towering buildings tilted down hill and over the street, rocking back and forth on their foundations. A cloud of dust seeped from both structures as they tripped over themselves and started to fall.

“Shit!” She pulled Caroline up and turned, starting to run back down the street before realizing it was too far. The only way out was up the rubble on the other side of the street, but it was too late. A wave of dust smashed into the girls, Evelyn took in breath but coated her mouth in stone. Her foot wrapped around a pipe and brought both of them to the ground at the mercy of gravity. The sound of glass shattering and wood cracking and stone cutting all around them was too much to bear, and Evelyn only gripped her sister tighter as the buildings slumped over and crashed into the street. The sound of choking filled both the girls ears as they gasped for air in the pollution, dust and dirt stuck to their eyes and clogged their ears, it slathered their lungs and painted them an awful pale yellow.

The noise came to a halt, the ringing and dust in Evelyn’s ears covering the sound of the last few bricks falling out of place. She tried to force her eyes open but grit scraped between her pupils and eyelids. Somehow, someway, Caroline had escaped Evelyn's grasp, panic filled Evelyn’s stomach like a gas bubble as she regained herself. The coughing only got worse, in a desperate attempt to find Caroline she reached out with her hand, raking her palm across the crumbled stone and broken glass, cutting deep gashes in her flesh. She jerked her hand back and clutched it as panic filled her veins. She looked more and more, dragging across book pages and pipes and exposed wires, picture frames and punctured canvas, to no avail.

After a desperate attempt of looking fight or flight reached full effect, and she began to worry about herself. She pulled the German rifle off her shoulder, revealing that the barrel had been crushed by something from the fall. Next was the hunting rifle, which was also out of operation. The wood furniture had splintered and snapped, almost breaking the rifle in half. There was no time to think about it. She grabbed her trench coat by the lapels and ripped it off, leaving nothing but her sweater vest and white button down. She pulled the sweater vest over her matted hair, it was still mostly navy blue, only coated in dust where the coat had left it vulnerable. She took one of the sleeves and wiped her face, digging the fabric into the crevices of her eyes and cleaning her lips. With that she was able to get her eyes open and flush them out, taking in her surroundings.

It was dark, now that the buildings had been pushed over the fire brewing underneath could erupt, causing thick black smoke and dust to cover the sky. Her eyes darted back and forth as she tied the vest around her mouth, making a mask. She put the coat back on and spotted Caroline, who had crawled over to a water pipe and was clutching to it. Evelyn cleared the dust out of her ears and made her way over to her, grit and smoke still stinging her eyes. 

“Caroline! Are you hurt?” Evelyn choked on the words, the dust sticking to her lungs upset by the talking. Caroline turned wildly, her eyes sealed shut by wet and sticky stone. Evelyn looked around and found her pack, digging around in it to find the canteen. It had taken a hit, but still had some water in it to wash out her eyes. “Hold still!” She unscrewed the cap and slowly poured the water over her sister's eyes, thumbing the clay off her skin. “Open.” Caroline’s eyes flicked open as Evelyn poured a small amount of the water for herself, gargling out her mouth. “Are you hurt?” Caroline paused and looked down, examining herself.

“Nothing more than a few scratches, we gotta get out of here!” She choked on her breath, taking in more heavy dust. Evelyn pushed Caroline’s coat off her shoulders and pulled off her sister's vest, helping her tie it back around her face. 

“Let’s go.” At this point the orange glow of the fire poured into the space, providing the slightest bit of light from the raging fire. Cracks and pops of the fire breaking down building support crashed through the space, a smoke above so thick the girls couldn’t tell if there was a roof over them or not, either way they continued on cut and bruised knees. Finally Evelyn caught a glimpse of daylight through a crack, and climbed the hill of rubble with Caroline in tow. Once at it, it became clear that the hole was only about the size of a fist, yet freedom was right there. By now the fire was catching up, and the flames were starting to make their way toward them, causing smoke to be vented out the tiny hole. Evelyn clawed at the stone, eventually breaking it loose and letting it fall back into the street, making the hole just big enough to make it out.

She pushed herself up and out of the hole, gasping for air and reaching down to help Caroline out. They looked out across the landscape, the buildings had toppled over and completely covered the street. Smoke and dust hung low in between the remaining structures. Military jeeps had pulled up to keep people away from the fire, of which no one paid any mind too. Evelyn pulled her sweater vest down and untied it from her neck, shaking it out and pulling it back over her head. Caroline took a knee to catch her breath, coughing up an awful greyish-yellow gew as she went. The hole they had emerged from was the second floor of a neighboring building, however there were no walls, just a slope of yellowish grey rubble built around what used to be a window.

Stretched out in every direction were acres of green fields, cratered and dotted with the scars of man made battle. The spot on top of the destruction provided such a great view of the beautiful warzone, it was breathtaking. Soon Caroline joined Evelyn on her feet, rubbing snot from her nose. Evelyn clutched a cut and bruised fist, thumbing the ring on her finger. She turned to face Caroline, the now setting sun to her back, and flashed a bruised, yet kind, smile.

“C’mon Caroline, people need us down there.” Caroline grabbed the strap of her pack and looked down into the pit they had just freed themselves from. Her eyes softened, almost like seeing an old friend for the first time.

“Okay,”


	5. And Set

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter marks final push that sets the story truly in motion, as Kyubey is the game master and leads his pieces wherever he needs them.

“Here, miss, take this, for your hand.” The ball of gauze was practically shoved in Evelyn’s face by the American, his helmet shielding his eyes. Evelyn merely nodded and smiled, taking the gauze from the boy. Truth was she needed it, she had cut herself deep across her hand, but had made due by shoving rock dust in it to stop the bleeding. That didn’t make it any less painful however, and as she tightened the gauze with her teeth the pain was surprisingly numb. Truth was she was covered in cuts and scrapes and bruises, but she couldn’t really feel the pain, it was odd. The sun was long gone, and the fire was now a smoldering pile of wood, by tomorrow it would look like it had happened forever ago. Evelyn and Caroline joined the line, stretching nearly forty feet long to get water from the pipe. The pipe, was just that, the remnants of a garden spigot that trickled water continuously onto the ground.

It was the end of their second day in Saint-Lô, and it seemed like no one was left to pull from wreckage. Evelyn prepared the canteen, it was a rare item in a place like this. Caroline had pulled a cup out of the wreckage, and cradled it in her arms. Soon they were next in line, and Evelyn held the canteen underneath, the sound of the water slamming into the bottom only getting higher in pitch until it vanished all together, showing it was full. The lid was tightened down and she fell to her knees, holding her face under the cool water until it ran down her front. Once she had her fill, she climbed to her feet, grabbed the canteen, and waited for Caroline. Earlier that day military bulldozers had come and scraped out more roads, shoving the remnants of houses into clumps for troops to move in between and leaving empty streets layered in dust behind.

“Evelyn, let’s go.” She was shaken out of her trance, and quickly nodded an okay before turning on her heel. “Same place?”

“If it’s still there.” Soon they climbed up and dropped down into a dim room, dry carpet crunched beneath their feet as Caroline turned up the oil lamp just enough to see. It was a small apartment, buried in rubble from all sides, yet it had somehow remained livable. Rich red carpet coated the floor, layers of rock dust had sunk into it causing it to crinkle when desturbed, and the entire room had slanted to the side. Luckily there was enough cover to light an oil lamp, and almost complete protection from the events outside. It had been so busy Evelyn had all but forgotten about being a Magical Girl, as she was too focused on digging out rubble to think about it. 

She pushed the door to the small bathroom open, canteen in hand. Sitting on the side of the tub she pulled her hair over, populated by the yellow dust and cobwebs, infested with grease and little specks of rock. She unscrewed the lid of the canteen, and started the long process of washing out her hair with minimal water, pouring the liquid over her scalp and working it through the length with a brush she had found the other day.

Soon the sound of pebbles falling against the tub increased as her yellowed, matted hair faded back into a darker shade of amber. Her hair had always been one of her defining features, a mix between blonde and red Thomas had always been heavy handed with compliments. Soon it felt almost back to normal, and with a final touch of water it was ready to dry. She stood up and examined herself in the half broken mirror, wondering how long she would be able to stay this clean. She held her hair up above her head, keeping it from touching the dust stained sweater vest that had been so essential the day before. The lack of a mother in her life resulted in a disregard for fashion, but to be this dirty simply just felt wrong.

By the time she left the bathroom Caroline was fast asleep, and Evelyn pulled up a chair, trying hopelessly to fight her thick hair into a braid. Finally it agreed, and she slung the thick intertwined strands over her left shoulder stretching halfway down her chest. It wasn't long before it happened again, without even realizing it she was holding her Soul Gem in front of her eyes, there was just something about it, something so warm. She couldn't help but notice that it was looking slightly dimmer than it had the night before.

"Ms. Lewis." Evelyn looked up and out the hole in the ceiling, and immediately recognized the harsh red lights that hung over her.

"H..hey." She whispered, the creature dropped down into the room and sat down on a collapsed windowsill.

"Have you noticed something about your Soul Gem?" Evelyn pulled it off her finger and let it roll around in the palm of her hand, the pale glow had seemingly dimmed, and a little ball of dull grey rolled in the center. 

“I guess, looks a little dim.” The soft light of the oil lamp ran circles around Kyubey’s eyes as he moved, getting closer to Evelyn.

“Evelyn, if you don’t start fighting witches soon, it will spell disaster. You need to leave here, and head south. There, there’s sure to be witches, they reside in areas prone to tragedy. There is nowhere on this Earth more prone to tragedy at this moment then the front.” 

"How will I explain that to Caroline, she doesn't know I made the contract, our weapons are destroyed, there's nothing for us there."

"That doesn't matter. Just find a way and head for the front or you'll run out of time." Kyubey hopped back up the rubble and out the hole in the roof. Evelyn was in shock, she closed her fist around her Soul Gem, staring blankly at the wall as she worked it all through her mind.

_ Running out of time? What does that mean? _

She got up and paced the room, crumbs of rock squishing into dust under her feet as she went. As she walked her braid slowly fell apart, soon enough it was back to normal and she turned to face Caroline, wrapped up in the billowie sheets of the bed in the trashed apartment, little breaths slipping in and out of her mouth as she clutched the sheets to her chest.

Her eyes couldn't help but to well up at the sight, so pristine and quant. Caroline had always been more of a lady, Evelyn didn't know how, considering Evelyn had been the one to raise her. She stood there for far too long, completely swallowed up by thought, something she hadn't allowed herself to do recently.

She had things to protect, things to keep safe and make promises too, what would happen if Caroline got hurt, or worse. What would happen if she couldn't protect Caroline anymore, if she was just stuck over here alone? How long would they be at the front? A distant artillery barrage took her out of her trance as she looked down at the little stone in her hand, closing her fist over it once more.

_ Tired. You're just tired. _

Slowly, Evelyn put out the oil lamp and climbed into bed by her sister, pulling her close and yanking the sheets up over Caroline's shoulder. Caroline rolled just a little, and as Evelyn fell asleep her Soul Gem molded back into a ring. 

Caroline's eyes blinked open, she looked down to find Evelyn pressed into her back, arm up and pressed to the headboard. Caroline couldn't help but to smirk, it was so warm under the blankets compared to the chilled room. Slowly, she crawled out from under her sister's armpit, rolling onto the firm carpet below.

Soon Evelyn came to, rolled out of bed and, to Caroline’s surprise, started repacking.

"What are you doing?"

"We have to go," Caroline looked confused, taking a slight step back.

"Where?"

"The front." Evelyn's voice was deadpan as she sat on the floor, Caroline standing at her back.

"..The front? But, we don't have any guns," Evelyn closed her eyes, squeezing them as hard as she could to hold the tears at bay. She took a breath and got control of herself before speaking again.

"I know. But...I made a deal."

"With...who?"

"I…I'm not sure, myself...maybe? Either way though, we've got to go."

"We'll be killed!" Evelyn swallowed, the peach pit stuck in her throat tried to force its way out, but now wasn't the time to break down.

“Caroline, we’re going. We’ll find a way, we always have.”

“But what happens if we don’t.”

“I don’t know.” Evelyn closed her bag, and stood. “Be ready in ten minutes, I’ll wait for you outside.” Evelyn climbed up and out of the rubble, leaving Caroline to pick up the pieces. As she stumbled down the rubble pile outside, the cool wind slapped Evelyn. Terrible sunlight had broken through the morning clouds, and the town was once again filled with the cautious bustling of recovery. 

Dust swelled against the buildings, flushed off the street under the weight of tank tracks. An American armored group was moving through the town, heading South to the front lines. The smell of exhaust burned Evelyn’s nose, and she couldn’t help but to trade stare’s with the grease smirred boys in the rolling bunkers. There was something different about them, their eyes sunk in and pores clogged with oil, a solemn look on their faces, like they knew their fate was sealed.

After the dust had settled Evelyn heard Caroline stumbling down the rubble from the apartment, and she knew it was time to get going. An assortment of jeeps and support trucks chased after the tanks, carefully steering through the glass scattered streets with their thin tires. 

"Alright, let's go. We'll head South along that road, and bed down with a camp once we get close. Got it?" Caroline kicked the dirt as the last of the trucks went by, she squinted into the sun before replying with a simple okay.

As they turned Evelyn couldn't help but to feel a ringing in her ear, it became dense, almost like a far off whistle.

"Do...you hear that?" Caroline's soft voice peeked over Evelyn's shoulder. She turned just in time to hear a fearful voice call to get to cover. Before she could react she was knocked on the ground by a rock crumbling blast, followed by another, then another. They were random, massive explosions pummeling the town, but more importantly the troops inside.

“Get back inside!” Evelyn screamed, her voice choking on dust, sending her into a coughing fit halfway through. She turned her eyes on the sky, and made out a faint dark line streaking across the oppressive sun. “Run!” As Caroline scrambled up the wall of sliced bricks the mortar slammed through the roof of the collapsed apartment building that had given them shelter, it went quiet for a moment as if the bomb was taking in the air and sound around it before blasting it all back out into the walls of the building. The wall Caroline clung to was pushed out by the ball of fire, throwing her into the street and slamming Evelyn against the stones of the avenue. 

She skid on the thick rock dust until her back slammed into the cornerstone of the next building over, knocking the wind out of her and busting skin all over her body. She punched the stone road and clutched her chest trying to recover from the blast. Coughs forced their way out of her lungs and her ears screamed with ringing, she rolled onto her stomach and then back onto her back, eventually regaining control of her breath.

_Where_ _did my pack go?_

She pulled herself to her feet as more blast struck other parts of the town. Now on her feet she stumbled over and fell by Caroline, who had rode the rubble from the explosion like a wave and remained relatively unharmed.

“Are you alright?” 

“Fine!”

Evelyn pulled her sister to her feet as more shells came down around them, sinking into buildings and exploding with blinding light. Evelyn turned in time to see a driver running from his jeep as a mortar hit it dead on. The suspension buckled under the force of the round tearing through the floor pan, and threw the small car into the air as the round went off underneath. The fuel tank ignited all at once, causing a ball of fire larger than any the girls had seen to flash by in an instant as the fuel burned off in an instant. The blast tossed the remaining part of the car up and into the second story of a building, crumbling the entire wall and nearly bringing the structure to its knees.

The driver climbed to his feet, just barely outside the reach of the explosion. He stumbled around until he saw his jeep hanging out of the second story building, and took off running as more bombs fell on the town.

Before Caroline could react Evelyn had grabbed her by the collar and was pulling her down a thin alleyway, trying her best to out run the explosions. Eventually she found a wooden door, busting it in she was confronted with a family sitting down to breakfast, as if nothing was happening.

"What are you doing? Get under something!" She panted, another round of artillery slugged by the Germans landed three doors down, pictures fell off of walls from the vibrations of their neighbors house falling in on itself. An older man sitting at the table stared at Evelyn with a mixture of shock and numbed fear in his eyes.

"Qui êtes vous?"

Evelyn covered her ears as another round of artillery landed, this one sounded like it had landed up the street, she couldn't help but to shut her eyes and dip down for a moment before regaining herself. The shockwave from the blast shook dust from the rafters, sprinkling every surface of the building with a yellowish powder.

_ Are they crazy!? Why won't they move, they don't even look sacred- _

The realisation came to her that this was normal, they were used to the shelling, and hiding under a table wasn't going to stop a German shell or mortar. Slowly she pushed Caroline's shoulder down until they both went to the ground, the man at the table simply turned back to his family, shrugged, and shovelled an egg yoke into his mouth.

"What are we gonna do?" Caroline whispered, watching as the family didn't even flinch at the sound of the next shell rattling the windows.

"Wait it out I guess, I'm getting in a corner though." Evelyn scrambled over to the corner, pulling herself up against the wall as another string of bombs slammed into the town. Caroline found herself pressed against her sister, holding on for dear life or something close as the floorboards shook and the walls rattled, the stones shed their dust coats and the wood creaked in retreating courage as the pounding got closer and closer. As buildings fell and trembled on their foundations, as the Germans tore down the French architecture. 

The sound of steel soled boots clacking against the cobblestone alley outside came closer and closer, shouts in American slang about the Germans and how they were gonna push through, orders to stay calm and keep moving as groups of soldiers ran past. The family at the table finished up and now sat in the parlor, unbothered by the now fading pulses shaking through the floorboards.

"I..I think it's over," Caroline moved aside as Evelyn climbed to her feet, dusting herself off and looking herself over. She was covered in deep purple and red splotches, a large pink scrape had formed around her cheek and jaw line, and small stains of blood shown through her pants. But none of it ached as much as it felt it should. Caroline had fared much better, taking only scraped palms and small cuts painted by light pink bruises, she had some difficulty getting to her feet, but she wasn't worse for wear. 

Peeking into the parlor, Evelyn said the only words that came to mind.

"Th-thank you," she coughed out from the threshold. The man looked up from his paper, confusion flashing across his face before putting together what Evelyn was saying, a quiet smile broke through before he simply nodded. Evelyn let out a pained smile and made a break back to Caroline, who was waiting by the door they had come in a short time ago.

"Ready?" Caroline asked, hand on the doorknob.

"Yep, we gotta find our stuff." Caroline pushed open the door and sound poured into the room. Wind whipped up and down the alleyway carrying with it dust and smoke, voices carried far from their owners shrieked up and down the formerly sleepy town. The spooling of jeeps’ motors picking up speed roared up the alley as they sped by the outlet in an instant, their exhaust coughing out a loud bang and the sound of metal slamming against metal rang out as they hit a small pile of rubble. 

When the girls reached the end of the alley the sight was worse than when they had arrived only days before. Smoke once again hung low in the streets, communication lines swung and bounced in the uncontrollable wind as people cloted together in intersections and streets. Groups of people shoved against each other as soldiers too small for their uniforms tried to sooth the crowds, only to be shoved down and ignored in their entirety.

The sun had gone, shielded by dense clouds and muted by smoke and dust, but a new light was beginning to show. With more buildings knocked down, there was less wind resistance, but just enough buildings remained standing to channel the gusts into focused and powerful waves of compact air that pushed through the streets and looped back over and over, resulting in a constant gust that never pushed any air pollution away, rather holding it in place. 

Oil lanterns flickered on as survivors stumbled out of their fallen houses, coughing and crying as rivers of tears carved valley's on their dust smothered cheeks. It wasn't long until the girls had pushed through the crowds and into a less clogged part of the town only a few hundred feet from their packs.

"C'mon, let's go!" Evelyn shouted as they jogged down the brick leaden street. It was a downhill run, scattered with planks of wood and stone and other human things, the congestion of the streets deeper in the town were nothing more but echoes here. Evelyn turned over her shoulder and stumbled backwards just in time to see a ball of flame erupt up from the massive ruins above them and graze the sky with its heat. The air escaped Evelyn's lungs as she slowed to a stop, it was only a brief moment before the shockwave cut through the buildings and pushed into the girls, shoving them both to the ground with force. A crack shot through Evelyn’s torso, but no mind could be paid, the sound slammed against their ears, thunder shattered windows and shook splinters from wood.

Evelyn pulled her cheek from the cool stones of the road and ran to Caroline, who was rolled on her stomach panting.

“C’mon Caroline we’ve got to go!” Evelyn rolled her sister on her back and couldn’t help but to notice the tiny stream of crimson fluid leaking from her ear. She panted rapidly, too fast to talk and too fast to move.

_ The wind’s knocked out of her. C’mon Caroline pull it together! _

The thought flashed through Evelyn’s mind that they could wait for her to recover, but it was clear that there was no way that was happening. It was down to her to get them out of Saint-Lô. Caroline grabbed Evelyn’s collar as she choked on her dry lungs.

“C...can’t. Do i..t.” Her head fell back against the stones as Evelyn rocked back.

“Okay, hang on!” She ran in front of Caroline and squatted down, pulling her up by the arms before pulling them around her neck. She stood like nothing, Carolines chest to her back and legs wrapped around her waist. “Okay, let’s go!” Caroline huffed in and out, weezing as Evelyn ran down the street.

Soon they were back at the now collapsed apartment building, it wasn’t long before Evelyn found her and Carolines pack.

“Can you walk?” Evelyn shouted as ash began to rain down from the firestorm brewing up the hill.

“Yeah...I’ll try.” With that Evelyn sat her down and grabbed their packs, doubling up. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of something across the street, and upon rapid exploration it made itself out to be a rifle, discarded by one of the Americans. Evelyn grabbed the gun by its olive sling and pulled it over her shoulder without a thought. 

“Let’s go.” Evelyn panted, the day was catching up to her. With that they started running, running straight out of town and following the tank tracks from that morning. Evelyn’s throat burned like fire as she drew in cool dry air, her breaths were raspy as she carried her and her sister’s weight in bags. The stock of the rifle banged against her thigh aggravating every cut and bruise on her leg and sending jolts of dull pain to the rest of her body. She could barely keep up with Caroline, who was well in control of her breath once more. 

By now they were out of town, trudging through the valley and up the cratered hill just outside. Evelyn pulled on her brain hard enough to spill out some words, which she spat out in between breaths.

“Once..we crest...this hill, we’ll rest.” Lead held down Evelyn’s feet as she pulled the rifle, which had slipped down to her forearm, back up to her shoulder. Now that they were out from underneath the cloud of the brewing firestorm they once again found themselves held hostage under the blinding light of the sun. It pounded down on them with fury only obtainable through the devil himself as droplets of sweat slipped down Evelyn’s face and into her eyes.

_ We’re not done yet! Just a little further and you’ll be out of the open! _

Evelyn’s head called, encouragement spilling over the edges of the voice, but a harsher tone pounded back just as hard.

_ Out of the open and closer to the enemy. _

It was dull, it was flat, unmotivated and unwilling. And yet it seemed so right. Evelyn could barely see in front of her anymore, the tunnel vision had closed in so terrible and dark to the point of only catching the glimpse of a leaf or two sitting on the trees at the top of the hill. 

_ Maybe I should just give up. _

_ No! _

Evelyn rocked back and forth, she had fallen behind. Caroline, too deep in the same state to notice her faltering sister, didn’t worry. Evelyn was dependable, she had protected her, Caroline couldn’t think of a time Evelyn had never not been truthful or given up, she had done her best even if she had failed before. The ground smoothed out beneath Caroline’s feet as she crested the hill, she fell beneath a tree and flattened the dying grass. She had made it. 

Evelyn stumbled up the path, her shoulders sore with bags that shouldn’t have been this heavy, that weren’t that heavy, but every ten feet felt like a quarter pound gained. The trees' sweet cool shadow embraced her as the packs and the rifle fell off her battered body. Evelyn collapsed onto the grass, letting out a long exhale as she settled into her wounds. Without a thought, she fell asleep.

Evelyn’s eyes peeled open, quickly taking in her surroundings it became clear it had been a few hours at least. She looked herself over, still worse for wear it hurt to move, to breath. She sat up and twisted to grab her pack, only to recoil in pain. A quiet yelp escaped her lips as she untwisted herself and grabbed her chest, keeling over. She sucked in a sharp breath through gritted teeth, but it only hurt more. In a moment she had regained control, and flattened out her legs, exposing her abdomen. Gingerly, she graced the bottom of her ribs and winced in pain. Her hand recoiled as she took in yet another sharp breath. 

Slowly she pulled up her sweater vest, revealing the stained white button down underneath. Slowly, her fingers pressed against her skin and into her rib, trying her best to ignore the seething waves of pain shooting through her bones.

_ Just a little harder! _

Soon it became clear that there was a small crack in the rib, it wasn’t broken, just cracked. Evelyn threw her hand away from the wound and fell backward, panting. There was nothing that could be done, they had no medical equipment or medicine, it was up to her to just deal with it. It was then that the thought finally popped into her mind.

_ Where’s Caroline!? _

Groaning, she forced herself to her feet. Everything hurt, her legs ached, her back felt like power and her head felt as if it was being split open. There was no part of her body that hadn’t been hit escaping town. Just as panic set in, Caroline walked out from behind a tree, canteen in hand.

“Oh, you’re awake...I got you some water, there’s a stream down there. It’s not that far. Man, look at that.” Caroline pointed over Evelyn’s shoulder, who turned to take in the view. Saint-Lô was on fire. It had been since the artillery, but by now a steady stream of thick black smoke billowed up above the town and escaped into the sky. 

_ What had caused that explosion? All at once it seemed like she had turned around and the sky was on fire. It made no sense- it had all happened so incredibly fast, it was all out of order. It wasn’t an artillery strike, no, it couldn’t be, those had stopped. Either way, it didn’t matter now. It was gone. All gone, burned to ash leaving nothing behind but walls with nothing to protect.  _

Caroline’s voice seemed so distant, empty. Evelyn swallowed hard before turning back to Caroline.

“We need to keep moving, the front can’t be much further ahead.” Caroline’s face contorted with shock.

“Are you bloody insane! Look at you Evelyn, there’s no way we could last out there with you in this state, you’re beat.” Evelyn took a deep breath, ignoring the aching pain coming with it.

“That doesn’t matter. We’ve got to keep moving forward, we’re close. I know it, We’ll get help there, but we’ve just got to get there first.”

“Why can’t we just go back!?” 

“To Saint-Lô?”

“Yes! There’s sure to be an aid post there.” Evelyn turned back to face the burning town, the smoke casting massive shadows on the pale green valley below.

“I don’t believe we should be backtracking, even then, those fires are too big to put out now, they’ll have to burn themselves out. The military will probably just go around. We have no other choice but to keep moving up, we’re bound to hit a path eventually, we just have to stick to it. You have to believe in me Caroline, this is what we’ve got to do.” Caroline stared at her sister, those warm yet glossy eyes staring back at her painted with colors of hurt and determination.“We’re close. I know it.”

Caroline clutched the canteen.  _ How had she been so lucky, Evelyn was beat down to a pulp, no telling what kind of injuries she was holding in on the inside, and yet she still wanted to push on. It was because of her she had made it out of that town alive, she knew it. Evelyn had kept her from getting more than a minor cut or bruise in all that chaos. And yet, she still strived to go further. _

Caroline took a deep breath.

“Look, Evelyn. I don’t know what you’re on about, needing to get to the front so dearly. But, it’s clear that there’s something going on. That there’s something, or someone, there waiting for you. That you have something to do there. You’ve protected me so far, you’ve kept me safe all these years. I don’t see why you would stop now. If you want to go to the front, I’ll stick with you, we’ll do it together. That’s-that’s a promise.”

Evelyn’s eyes softened, a thin smile breaking through her lips before nodding.

“Right then, let’s head off.” she grabbed the rifle and her pack, with Caroline taking hers.

The sun beat down on the girls as they crested the next hill, it had been roughly an hour since they had set out, and the cool French sun hung high just past its apex. These hills were nothing like the scarred ones around Saint-Lô, they were pristine, a fading green being whipped away by the chilled air. Ahead lie a small group of trees, a much needed place for some rest. The distant sound of gunfire had dimmed, a clear indication that they were falling off course, yet neither of them had so much as noticed.

Soon they had made it under the shade of the trees, Evelyn sat the rifle against a tree and took off her bag, followed by Caroline, who had sat her bag down by her sisters’. The girl's eyes met as Caroline took a sip of water, and then it happened. Before Evelyn could react Caroline was slammed against a tree, pinned to it by an arrow that had been shot straight through her shirt. Caroline let out a scream as Evelyn ran to her, only for her arm to be grabbed by an arrow and pinned to the ground. There was no penetration, rather the arrow had managed to only grab her sleeve with pristine accuracy.

“Caroline!” Evelyn shrieked, trying desperately to pull the arrow out of the firm ground. She lunged for the rifle, only to be violently yanked back by her sleeve. The sound of shoes slamming against solid dirt drew her attention back to Caroline, standing by her was none other than a girl, crossbow in hand. “What are you doing!?” Evelyn wailed, her body screamed for her to stop moving, but she didn’t care. She watched as the girl looked at Evelyn, confusion flashing before her graphite like eyes before turning to Caroline, who struggled against the tree. “Stop!” 

The sound of thunder exploded through her eardrums as a gunshot erupted from somewhere and echoed into the distance. Evelyn yelped at the sound and instinctively slammed her eyes shut, but the sound of a tree limb crashing against the ground forced her to pry them open again, expecting the worst. Instead, she was greeted with a smoking rifle in pristine condition stretching out from her hand, the grip on the stock so perfectly fitted to her she hadn’t even felt it. The girl who had appeared so ominous before had dove to the ground to evade the shot, causing the round to hit a tree branch instead. Shock was written across all three girls' faces, the rifle was light, so light it weighed nothing at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that the release dates have slowed down, but the newer chapters are longer and I've been taking time to work on other hobbies such as playing the Piano. Thank you for your continued support and reading of this work. I am eternally grateful that people are taking the time to read it and hope that I'm able to deliver a good story.


	6. A Conventional Game

"Arrête! Ne tire pas!” Evelyn reached behind her and found the strength to yank the arrow out of the ground, freeing herself. Once on her feet, she properly shouldered the rifle and chambered another round. Though no casing was expelled, Evelyn knew immediately that another round had already been loaded. She knew this gun; it just felt… right.

“Who are you?!” she called. “Do you speak English?!” Evelyn’s voice cracked over the words. The other girl stood, putting her hands in the air before taking a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, I meant no harm! I didn’t know you were—” Evelyn put herself in front of Caroline before the stranger could finish.

“What’s your name?!”

“Linette! Linette Durand!” she responded. It didn’t make sense to Evelyn. She was French for sure; why did she attack them?

“Who taught you how to speak English?” 

“I—I have family in Wyoming!”

“And so why are you attacking your allies? Who sent you here to hurt us?!”

“No one!" she shouted. "No one. I was on mission, I heard you coming. I had to make sure you wouldn’t interfere, I didn’t know—” Evelyn cut the girl off without thought:

“Who gave you this mission?”

“Your allies!" The girl—Linette—responded. "I’ve been working with them!”

Evelyn paused before motioning for her to stand, directing her to another tree.

“Give me your weapons.” 

“What do you mean?”

“You know bloody well what I mean. Your weapons—I saw them.” Evelyn yanked out the arrow pinning Caroline to the trunk. Once freed, she grabbed the rifle from town and took aim at the girl without hesitation.

“But, you have to know what I mean!" she blurted desperately. "You’re—”

_ “What?! _ I’m a what?” Evelyn spat.

“A Magical Girl!”

The barrel of Caroline’s rifle slammed into the dirt as she stared at Evelyn, confusion shining deep in her eyes.

“Evelyn..?”

She broke her sightlines to meet eyes with her sister.

“Don’t listen to her Caroline,” Evelyn snapped, pointing a fiery glare at Linette, who was clearly oblivious to their sign. “I've never heard of such a thing.”

“But… then how did you make that rifle? Look, you’ve got the ring—you’re clearly a Magical Girl! Why haven’t you healed yourself yet?”

“Enough!” Evelyn snapped, breaths rasping from her like an old freight train. Linette practically fell backwards at Evelyn’s outburst. Even Caroline jumped.

“I can help you," Linette coaxed. "I swear, I’m a friend. I’ve never met another like me…”

A bead of sweat ran down the bridge of Evelyn’s nose. The rifle that had so mysteriously appeared in her hand was light as air, but the weight of her arms alone was enough to be exhausting. While her eyes darted around, Linette didn’t break eye contact. Her eyes; steely and soft, were watering.

_ The war must not have been kind to her… _

Evelyn took a deep breath. The thought of grabbing Caroline and running flooded her mind, but it was no use. All the adrenaline in the world couldn’t make her run any faster than the undeniably agile girl before them. 

_ No; that would be idiotic. She could hardly hold posture as she was now. There was also no point in trying to lie her way out of the situation, but Caroline wasn’t stable enough for the news about their parents. No, there was no way back home now, it made no difference if Mom and Dad were alive or not. If Caroline were to find out she’d just try to leave, just get in the way, get distracted, get herself killed. _

The barrel of Evelyn’s rifle dipped, and before she knew it the gun shattered in her hand; splintering into brilliant shards of light and fading just as quickly. 

“Yes, I’m a Magical Girl. I’m...I'm sorry… Caroline.” The girl down range, now sensing no danger, took a light step forward as Caroline took one back.

“Evelyn… wha— _ how? _ When?” The rifle fell out of Caroline’s hands, clattering against the dirt.

“It was the night in the woods, when I ran off, Kyubey, he met me. We talked, and I signed, but that’s not important, what’s important is that I can actually help people now, I can make a difference, a positive change, I am needed on the front lines.”

“Wait...if you signed, then...then you made a wish, right? What did you…” Evelyn clenched her teeth.

“I wished for your safety, it was the only thing I could think of. When I woke up, it was only a moment before you found me. You know the rest.” Caroline stood by a tree, her eyes glazed over. Finally she shook herself to the surface.

“But...you told me,”

“I know, what I told you Caroline. He just caught me while I was down. He told me I could win, and I believe him. While we were in Saint-Lô he said that we needed to head to the front. That’s why we have to go. Because I need to start doing my job.” Linette took a step closer to the girl whose name she’d identified as Evelyn.

“E-Evelyn, how long ago did you become Magical girl?" Her faint French accent became more apparent the faster she talked.

"Four days, maybe five, why?" Worry ran over Linettes face as she closed the remaining gap between the girls.

"May I see your Soul Gem?" Evelyn pulled the ring from her finger, letting it morph back into the egg before handing it to Linette. By now the grey swirl in the center had dimmed to a black orb, and Linette nearly jumped when the object was dropped into her hands. 

The adrenaline that had allowed Evelyn to take over the situation moments before was fading out of her bloodstream, and the pain of her battered body took its place. It started in the legs, tight muscles pumping in cramping from the constant movement, cuts and bruises from cobblestone and scrapes from the road, the pain was dull, yet her legs trembled beneath her.

Every breath caused a sharp stabbing pain as she felt the clicking of the crack in her rib widening and tightening, deep purple bruises ran the length of her stomach, blood pooling on the inside caused harsh flat pain with any movement. The tunnel vision returned as the pain only grew and grew, her head swam and soon she herself was swaying. There was a new feeling, not pain, something else, a colder feeling, dull and colorless it swam in her chest until she felt her chin slam into the dirt.

"Evelyn! What's happening?!" Caroline slid on the dirt next to her sister, whose breath had slowed substantially. Linette looked at the Soul Gem, connecting the dots rapidly. 

"Hang on, hang on!" Linette jumped, grabbing onto a tree branch and pulling herself up and into the limbs. In a moment she was back down with a dark green pack, she dug through it, finally pulling out a black ball with a long needle protruding from it.

“W-what’s that?” Caroline stamered, time seemed to stand still as Linette hurriedly pressed the black bur like gem against Evelyn’s, Caroline watched as in an instant all the dimmed light of Evelyn’s egg had pulled out, and the gem now shone with an intensely soft glow. Evelyn coughed a raspy cough before prying her eyes open.

“Here, take this, hold it up to eyes, concentrate on healing yourself. Focus on it real hard, about just doing away with all injuries.” Linette hushed calmly, pushing Evelyn’s Soul Gem back into her palms. She took back her strange stone, holding its now clear light up to her eyes, none of the girls dared take a breath.

It came slow, the pulsating ache that had ravaged her body for hours now began to ever so slowly fade, ever so slowly began to trickle away into nothingness. There was a tingling sensation in her chest, before she realized it was the feeling of her rib binding itself back together, the tender scrapes on her legs and bruises on her back faded, and before she knew it, she felt brand new.

“H-how?” Evelyn said, finally pulling her eyes away from the Gem.

“It’s part of magic in the Magical Girl, you can heal yourself. Did you not know?” Evelyn looked at the ground before, to Caroline’s astonishment, pulling herself up to her feet. She truly felt brand new, it was incredible.

“I’m not sure I know much of anything anymore, and surely nothing about this." Linette glanced up into the tree, before her eyes lit up with a new question.

"Why are you here? You're British right? Why are you not in Britain?" Evelyn glanced at the next hill over.

“We snuck on a boat, we thought we could help.” Linette’s face recoiled in offense, screwing up like a corkscrew. Anger consumed her face as it turned cherry red.

“Why do such things? Do you have a deathwish? You know, some people would do anything to get away from this place! What an ungrateful thing to say, what an ungrateful thing to do!” Evelyn nearly fell backward, the girl had been so calm and well mannered up to this point. It was shocking, uncharacteristic looking. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Linette yelled over the apology, balling up the outer seam of her pants into her fists. After only a moment, the girl's pale complexion returned, and it was as if nothing had happened at all. She locked her steel grey eyes with Evelyn’s, who couldn’t help but to feel intimidated by the intense stare.

“There is no need to apologize. You’re here now, so I might as well have you come with me. I would recommend you make up a story as to how you got here, people will...not take kindly to your current one.” Before Evelyn could react Linette closed her eyes and clapped her hands together, reopening them as if she had been restarted. “Right, let us get going then!”

The girl jumped up into the tree, falling back down in seconds. Now a bulky box of metal hung from her back, a handset bouncing on the strap and the stub of an antenna protruding from the top. In one motion Linette picked up the pack that laid on the dirt and threw it into Evelyn’s chest with such force it nearly knocked her to the ground. 

“I carry radio, you carry maps and supplies, she carries your things. Over time I will teach you how to use Magical Girl powers, but for now, just carry that rifle instead.” Linette instructed, gesturing to the rifle Caroline had threatened her life with only minutes ago. Evelyn pulled the rifle out of the grass and gripped it firmly in her hands as Caroline pulled both her and Evelyn's almost empty packs over her shoulder. Evelyn looked at Caroline, who looked back, eyes filled with slight confusion and a dash of betrayal still floating around in the pupil, before they both returned to Linette. “All right, Allons-y!”

Confusion was shared between the girls as they watched their new French companion stroll off, before Evelyn took the first step forward. Soon she was side by side the light stepped Linette. Linette was about an inch taller than Evelyn, and walked with more confidence than the two sisters combined. Locks of brown hair pulled away from her braid, it was clear it had been worn for days now, as well as her mud stained and grass burned pair of clothes. It hadn’t even occurred to Evelyn, the radio she carried, she had seen ones like it on soldiers' backs back in Britain, the OD green jacket she wore, the olive green pack in which she carried, maps, was it? 

“Where are we going?”

“Over this hill, there’s a farmhouse. Rumor has it that the Germans use it as forward operating base. Our job, is to go tell the big guns where to shoot with this phone, and those maps. Then, we go home.”

“Where’s home?” Evelyn pried, Caroline walked a few feet back, watching the hills for silhouettes. Linette pointed over shoulder, her finger aiming toward another hill split by a road, the road the girls had been heading to before they reached the trees. 

“Few clicks that way.” After some time the girls found themselves near the crest of the hill, as Linette slowly lowered herself onto the ground Evelyn and Caroline followed, and they began to belly crawl.

“Are we close?” Caroline asked from the back.

“I can hear them.” Linette whispered, Evelyn looked up the hill and back at Linette, who now had a black crossbow in her hand. Evelyn took note, and slowly pulled back the bolt on the rifle before letting it slam shut, chambering a round.

“I don't hear anything.” Evelyn whispered, a cool breeze pushed blades of dead grass across their view as the ground below them flattened.

“They’re here. The rumors weren’t rumors after all.” Ever so slowly a building came into view, a two story house built out of yellow stone and wood, much like the houses in Saint-Lô, except for one difference. Outside the house, parked by a trough was a car, battleship grey and angular in shape. An iron cross laid flat against the door in black paint. Outside, two men stood guard by a pig pen, their identities concealed by their helmets. 

“Evelyn, hand me my pack.” Without thought Evelyn pulled Linette’s pack off and pushed it over, Linette then pulled it open and fished out a pair of binoculars. Soon she had a large map out, tracing along and making little markings as she went until she finally perked up.“Okay, I have the numbers, I’ll call in the strike.”

Slowly Linette inched back down behind the hill, followed by Caroline as Evelyn stayed back to keep watch with the rifle. Clicks and clacks emerged from the girls as they extended the antenna, which was pushed up against the trunk of a small tree. With a solid click Linette picked up the handset and held it to her ear.

“Forest One-Two.” There was a moment of silence before Evelyn could hear a small voice come through the other side.

“Go ahead Forest One-Two.” Linette took a deep breath before pressing the key up button once more.

“We have located the target and are ready to relay strike quardnence. Over.” Linette let the pressure off the key up and looked around before looking back down at her maps. Evelyn watched as one of the soldiers flicked his cigarette in the mud, while the other took a sip out of a small flask. All together they remained completely oblivious to the danger soon to consume them. 

“Forest One-Two we are ready for your quardnence, over.” All at once numbers seemed to spill out of Linette’s mouth, one after another so quick Evelyn seemed to instantly get lost in them. A moment after Linette let off the key up the voice crackled through the headset once more.

“Forest One-Two copy that, tell us what you need and we’ll send the fire. Over.” Linette politely instructed the radio operator on the other end to stand by, before gently setting the grey handset on the grass and scrambling up the small hill. She peeked over Evelyn’s shoulder, examining the house with her binoculars before marking on a small piece of scrap paper and scrambling back to the radio.

“One round, High Explosive, over.”

“Copy that Forest One-Two, one round high explosive on its way. Over.” Soon there was a quiet thump in the distance, and Evelyn watched as Linette and Caroline slid up to either side of her. Linette calmly pulled a pair of earmuffs out and placed them on her head, pushing them against her ears. The house was still, the men out front still smoke and drank, and then a little hum started to become audible. Evelyn watched as the men out front turned toward the sky and began to run.

In an instant the sound greatly increased as the round got closer and closer, it was only for a moment but Evelyn could swear she saw the hot orange flash of metal fall down from the sky like a bolt of lightning and pound into the corner of the building. The shockwave slammed into the girls as both Evelyn and Caroline scrambled to cover their ears. A ball of hot fiery gass blasted out from the impact, only for it to be immediately muted by a cloud of dense grey smoke. 

Yelling echoed across the field as the two soldiers that had ran climbed to their feet, desperately looking for more cover. The smoke from the impact was rushed away by the breeze, exposing the impact point of Linette’s round. The projectile had only clipped the stone corner of the building, glancing off and landing right next to the car, which had been blown backwards onto its canvas roof.

“Can’t you call in another round?” Evelyn asked, panic filling her voice.

“Not needed.” Linette stated in a calm, quiet tone. Before anyone inside the building would have had time to react, the corner of the structure fell out into the driveway, a plume of dust and smoke rose into the air as the sound of wood splintering and rocks rubbing echoed across the hills. All at once the building slumped over, making it an almost instant pile of rubble. Linette pulled the hearing protection off her head and looked at Evelyn. “Clipping the cornerstone will most of time make the house fall.”

Before Evelyn could say anything Linette scrambled down the hill, lifting the handset off the hook with a click and quickly saying:

“Forest One-Two would like to report target destroyed, over.” A quick response was in order as Evelyn watched one of the men stumble around the ruins, desperately calling to his partner in German, who was in a ditch vomiting from the sudden shock.

“Copy that Forest One-Two, cleared to RTB, out.” With that Linette placed the handset back on its hook and began pulling the antenna down. Caroline watched her work, she moved like nothing had even happened, unbothered by the sudden and violent strike that had just taken place. Linette looked up from the pack to see the young girl staring at her, eyes glazed over with shock and sudden confusion.

“How old are you?” Linette spoke quietly, trying to break the silence as she folded and packed the antenna.

“Fifteen, I’m fifteen.” Caroline didn’t meet eyes with Linette, it felt wrong. It felt so wrong to look into the eyes of someone who can drop a bomb on a house and go about their day. Afterall, that’s exactly the kind of thing they’d been on the receiving end of for years. Linette paid no mind to the cold glances, it was nothing new to her. She got to her feet, reaching down to give Caroline a hand, which was promptly ignored.

“Little young. What is your birthday?” Caroline quickly grabbed a glance of the gentle Linette, just out of the corner of her eye. She was undoubtedly kind, her soft voice as smooth and comforting as fresh milk. Her eyes, which just moments before had been as steely as the metal itself, were now a soft, warm grey. Damp and shiny like that of a hard caramel candy, a color of iron now malleable enough to appear pale gold when correct lighting encompassed them. There was no point in lying to her. The emotion shining through on her face was not that of pity or deceit, but that of relation.

“The seventeenth of September, that’s my birthday.” Linette nodded her head, Evelyn walked behind the two as they approached the trees where they had met just a few hours before. The sun had leveled just above the hills, and there were but a few hours daylight left before the guns would dampen for the night. “How old are you?” Caroline asked quietly, in a way acknowledging Linette, and allowing a conversation to start. 

“I am seventeen, only few years older than you.” Caroline looked straight ahead.

“You said you have family, in the United States?” Linette scanned the ridgeline before looking up to the sky, on the far end the first stars were already coming out, their dim light fighting against the sun for attention.

“I do, my father, he fought in the Great War for the United States. After the war, he said ‘If I helped free it, I might as well live in it!’. So he moved to France, married my mom, and went to school to become architect. Then they had me...and my sisters.” Caroline looked at a calm Linette, who ignored the wetness of her own eyes. Caroline promptly decided to stay on the topic of America.

“So, have you ever been there, to the United States?” A spark of mellow excitement ran across Linette’s face as she looked at Caroline.

“Many a time. My father’s family owned a fountain pen company in Wyoming. We used to spend our summers staying on their land. Almost everyone in my family can speak fluent English, but I’ve always lacked a little behind.” Linette took a quiet breath, the gaps in sentences only grew as her tired mind tried to find the right words. “When we would stay there, we would camp in the..Shoshone National Forest. We would hike and fish and do, many other things. I loved it there, it taught me how to survive. How to..adapt to things, and make do. I...hope to go back there someday.”

The girls crested a hill, revealing a road that ran up a valley and into a small camp.

“There it is.” Linette spoke confidently, gesturing to the group of civilization. “Home.” They walked and joined up on the dirt road, lined with ten or so halftracks. Mechanics stripped down to their undershirts and suspenders worked on the vehicles, any odd click or bang of maintenance was quickly hushed to the best of their ability, they worked with little light, in fact, by now the camp was hardly visible.

“Excuse the, interesting conditions. There is a light and noise policy. Follow me.” Linette whispered with confidence as they reached the outskirts of the camp, where the trucks stopped and the tents began. “Over there, those are the guns.” Linette pointed, a dark silhouette of eight or so long barrels could be made out against the hill. Evelyn could feel the eyes, it felt as if everyone in camp had stopped to look at the girls entering the camp, but she tried to pay no mind.

Eventually they reached a tent larger than the rest, a soft orange glow illuminated the canvas from a light inside, and a large antenna hung out the top. Linette lifted the flap and let the sisters go first. Once inside, she was quick to jump in front of them. The tent was dimly lit, the only exception being a small oil lamp sat in the corner, casting light to the small radio station set up against the tarp wall. Of the two men inside, only one looked up, that being a rather small shrimpy boy with round wire frame glasses.

“Oh, Linette, you’re back. Who are they?” Evelyn immediately identified him as the voice that had been on the other side of the line earlier that day. He got to his feet and paced beside his small desk, on which sat a radio much larger than the one Linette had carried. 

“They’re friends, and they are willing and ready to help as Forward Observers with me. This is Evelyn, and this is Caroline.” The boy extended his arm for a hand shake, when Evelyn took it she couldn’t help but to notice the quick pulse, the sweaty palms, the slight quivering of his arm as he said nice to meet you.

“Well, we could always use more Forward Observers, eve-every sense the landing everythings been all kinds of clogged. We’re still waiting on our first set of reinforcements from D-Day. Hell, at this rate, we don’t know if they’ll ever come, they’re all being redirected straight to the front line. We would be happy to have you work with us, you can bunk with Linette, and she’ll take you by the supply locker come tomorrow morning. Have a good night ladies.”

Soon the girls found themselves in a small tent, it was the first time since the sisters had landed that they had a proper cot to sleep on, it felt good. Linette leaned down to Evelyn and whispered softly in her ear

“I’ll wake you in an hour and a half. Then, we leave for your first night of training.” Evelyn, at the sound now wide awake, nodded slowly before closing her eyes again. The tent wasn't much smaller than the command tent they had met in before, but the three cots pressed side to side greatly hampered the floorspace of the small structure. There was practically no sound, other than the cool whine of wind brushing the side of the tent. Caroline’s arm hung off the side of her cot, she had quickly fallen into deep sleep, soon to be followed by her sister.

Evelyn felt the sleeve of her button down stretch, before there was a gentle tap on her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open with a delayed weight, though it made no difference inside the tent, there was no light to see anyway.

“Wake up, grab your things, it's time to go.” Linette’s soft voice whispered into Evelyn’s ear, so close she could feel the girl's warm breath on her skin. Linette backed away before stating that she’d be outside waiting. Groggy, Evelyn climbed out of the cot and buttoned up the top buttons on her shirt, fixing her wrinkled collar before slipping on her sweater vest and coat. She picked up her pack, and looked at Caroline as she stepped outside. The tent flap closed behind her and a chill ran down Evelyn’s spine, a cold front must have begun to blow in in the time she had slept.

“I’m ready to go.” Evelyn whispered as she stood by Linette, who now had a much more serious posture to her. She turned to meet Evelyn, in the pitch dark that covered the camp, only outlines could be made. Linette simply nodded, and began walking out toward one of the hills. Evelyn jogged to catch up, dry grass crunching beneath her feet as her breath crystallized into fog with each step.

Soon Evelyn took in the view behind her, the camp now only a black outline amongst the black hills.

“Where are we going?” She whispered, careful of the amount of noise.

“We’re hunting. The strange thing about this is that once you are in combat your body knows what to do. That’s the only way to train, over time you will get control of it.” Silence fell over the two as they walked, Evelyn mustered up the courage to speak once again, tussling with the oppressive and cold silence that kept draping over them.

“But where do we hunt, for Witches?”

“They like tragedy, we are going to Saint-Lô. It was only liberated few days ago, and there are plenty of places for them to hide.” Evelyn threw her head back with frustration. Saint-Lô had to be a couple miles away, maybe more.

_ We just got out of that place and now we’ve got to go back?!  _ Evelyn nearly choked on her spit, it seemed like the town was cursed, sucking her back in and swallowing her up.

“Why? Why there, isn’t there another town, somewhere else?” Linette huffed with frustration, a cloud of her breath breaking up around her face.

“Tonight is the only night, it is just for training. Don’t complain, the noise will get us killed.”

Eventually, the pillar of smoke came into view once more, and Evelyn knew they were close. The hill they sat on the crest of was giving an odd feel of deja vu, it had only been a few hours since she had escaped to this small plot of land to rest after such a terrible strike.

“Let’s go.” Linette said flatly, before starting down the hill. Evelyn reluctantly followed her leader, she kept moving as it made it warmer, the temperature had only been dropping, and her lips were now chapped and nose pink. Soon the cobblestone bricks were clacking beneath their feet, and the ruined buildings cast twisted and unsettling outlines against the night sky. 

There was scattered light cast by small fires, their warm glow causing shadows to flicker and dance on blackened walls. The soft crackle of the dampened fires softly echoed up and down the dusty streets, it was the most quiet Evelyn had ever seen the place. Streets were abandoned, small streams of water ran down the cracks in the bricks, most of the rubble had been swept to the side. Water hoses from fighting the fires remained under water pressure and metal pale’s laid on their side. Every now and again a quiet cough could be heard, a gust of wind would disturb the peace or a cigarette would be flicked out a window, but outside of that interaction the town had gone silent. Not even soldiers stood guard to enforce the curfew, for there was next to no one to enforce it on. Linette pulled out her Soul Gem, which had started to flash its light.

“Look at yours.” She ordered, Evelyn promptly took hers off her finger, surprised to see that it was blinking as well. “This is how you track Witches. Just follow the light and it will take you right to them. Lead the way.” Linette gestured as she put hers away, letting Evelyn take the lead. The light in the gem didn’t just blink, it pulsed through her body, sending joilt up her arm almost pulling it in every direction.

“Why did you bring her here?” Linettes’ voice asked from behind.

“Caroline?” Evelyn paid little mind to the conversation, she was focused on what was happening in front of her. 

“Yes, Caroline, why?” Linettes’ voice reeked with an oppressive disgust for the person before her,  _ what kind of person drags a fifteen year old into a warzone. _

“Well...she’s my sister, I couldn’t just leave her there. She’s all I have. She’s the only family I have.” 

“So you brought her to a warzone?” Linette stabbed with sharp tone. Evelyn froze in her tracks, sagging her shoulders before continuing and turning down an alleyway.

“Yes.”

“Why?” Evelyn took a breath, never before had an empty street been so pushy.

“Because she could either come here with me, or live on the streets.” Linette struck again almost instantly, it was clear she had planned this.

“So you were going to leave her? Leave your only family for dead?”

“No.”

“You were, weren’t you?!”

“No,”

“You said she could stay or go, didn’t you?!”

“No-”

“Why didn’t  _ you _ stay?! Why did  _ you _ make  _ her _ decide?!”

“It wasn’t like that! It wasn’t like that at  _ all _ ! This matter is none of your business. So bug off!” Evelyn stopped in her tracks, her Soul Gem now shone a constant light. “I...I think we’re here.” She looked up and they were in the back of an alley, a dead end with walls on all sides that reached into the sky stories above the girls. Linette stepped in front of Evelyn, between her and the wall.

“Listen, I’m sorry for being rude. I know that what you did probably has you filled with regret. But if you want to make sure that you see Caroline again we need to work together, it’s for the best.” Linette said relatively quietly. Reluctantly Evelyn agreed before nodding that she was ready. 

Linette pulled a silver and gold encrusted letter opener from her sleeve, stabbing it into the wall and pulling down, opening the wall like a zipper. The stone wall now had the consistency that of drapes, of which Linette pulled to the side, opening the portal.

“Let’s go.” She said as she climbed inside. Before she knew it Evelyn was alone in the alley, she looked around before pushing her foot through the wall and stepping in.

Once inside Evelyn looked around, taking a second to orientate herself. They were in the alley, though it was as if a mirror image, where the solid wall was now behind them and the alley let back out into the street in front. Linette stood against a wall, taking in the view.

“Feel familiar?” She said, looking around.

“Yeah...is this?”

“Saint-Lô, before the war, it is mirror image. Be on guard.” The sounds of distant horns echoed down the alleyway, beckoning them closer to the square. Evelyn took in the view once more before turning her attention back to Linette, who now had a crossbow in hand. It was a beautiful weapon, cast out of solid black materials, Evelyn couldn’t help but to be a little jealous. “Get your weapons out.”

Evelyn quickly realized that Linette was talking about the rifle that had appeared in her hands earlier, scrambling to find how to branish it once more.

_ Damnit, how had it happened before? _

“Just...think about a rifle. That is your weapon, right?” WIth that she built the gun in her head, looking down to see the mental image of her gun sitting physically in her hands. “Alright, ready?” Evelyn nodded, and with that they started toward the street. Golden light coated the damp and shiny bricks as they made it to the exit of the alley, and into the road.

“Does it not know we’re here?” Evelyn asked, trailing behind Linette as they looked up the street.

“No, as long as we keep our heads down it has no way of finding us, and even then sometimes we will have to find it.” Evelyn nodded as they got closer to the music up the street. The town was draped in a beautiful golden glow, put forth by polished street lanterns that lead up to the cathedral in the center of town. The cathedral back in the real world had been completely destroyed, laid out on the ground in a slump. But here, it stood ruling over the town in all its glory, basking in the night sky. Evelyn pulled her coat off as sweat had started to soak her back, it was a warm evening, the summer sun had just sank below the hills and the scattered clouds had moved out of the way, allowing the stars to make their way into view.

“It’s a beautiful night.” Evelyn couldn’t help but to say it, it reminded her of the deer roasts back home, inviting over friends for the evening.

“Exactly. It’s evil.” Linette spoke flatly, a tinge of pure hate on her breath.

“Why?”

“The way we came here is the path with least chance of discovery. There are easier ways for people to stumble in, after having their homes destroyed, seeing the village like this would make anyone want to stay forever. People don’t know any better, they can’t find their way out, they get found by the Witch. They get killed. Eaten. Even if the Witch never finds them, there is no food in these labyrinths. And any water is an empty substitute.”

“Oh.” The silence was heavy, but before they knew it they were on the verge of the square. 

“Get down, and be quiet.” Evelyn crouched down behind a whiskey barrel, taking in the sight on the square. It was a dance, a brass and woodwind octet accompanied by an upright piano sang across the square, golden rope lights strung from lantern to lantern. And there were people, so many happy people, twisting around each other and into each other's arms like it was nothing. Expressions of pure joy radiated from ear to ear as the band swang to Stealin’ Apples, gold rays of light reflecting off the cobblestone streets and polished windows.

“Good music.” Linette whispered from the other side of the street.

“Benny Goodman, nineteen forty.” Linette stared at Evelyn from behind her own barrel.

“A fan?” Evelyn didn’t think about her answer, eyes glued to the scene before her, the dewdrop soaked glasses of tea sitting on the sideline tables color matching her hair.

“My mother, always had a thing for American swing.” Evelyn was lost in thought, she could smell the hand rolled tobacco on her fathers breath, the bookshelf stalked with aging vinyl, the old turntable. Vague memories of mom and dad swinging around the small house, the fabric of her dress twirling without a care in the world. 

Evelyn couldn’t remember much of her mother, any memories were thin and malleable like a putty figure, changing with time and guidance. But there were the things about her that were unforgettable. Her never ending stabs at dad’s aim, the constant music, her dedication to her schooling and work. Of course, these memories had always been refreshed to her by her father, but she had pieces of her own memories. She was a beautiful woman, happy with her life and work.

_ God. what happened? _

“Evelyn, you alright?” She shook, pulling herself away from the brass joy playing before her, panting she fell behind the barrel, tears built up and waiting to fall with the next blink.

“ _ Fine _ . I’m fine, just...a lot of memories.”


End file.
